The One Who Fought
by TheCheerfulPessimist
Summary: Harry Potter is devastated after Sirius Black's death in the summer after fourth year. He vows that if Voldemort doesn't want a war yet, he is going to take it to him. Duels, victory, power. Welcome to the Second War. Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise
1. Chapter 1

**OK, guys, this is the start of a new story, one I'll be regularly updating.**

**Summary: AU. After Sirius's death at the hands of Voldemort during the summer after fourth year, Harry, devastated, resolves that if they didn't want a war yet, he was going to take it to them.**

**Training, curses, duels. Welcome to the Second War.**

**Chapter 1**

_A Thousand Years Ago_

_Godric_ _Gryffindor_ _held_ _his_ _sword_ _in_ _his_ _sheath_ _and his wand in his hand, as he endured a storm of feeling he had never felt before. His friend stood in front of him. Salazar, his comrade, his greatest friend. His voice cracked and his heart wrenched as he spoke the question he already knew part of the answer to._

_"Why, Salazar?"_

_His friend spoke with assurance, yet with an underlying dejection. "Godric, my friend, you do not understand. Our traditions are disappearing, our rituals degrading, as a new generation of the Mud-Crawlers learn magic's biggest secrets." Godric bowed his head, as red hair whipped in the breeze. "You didn't need to resort to this. You could have just taught them our traditions, our way of life. Why destroy entire villages and kill the muggleborns in government?" _

_Salazar laughed, a little manic. "Godric, they will always be Mud-Crawlers! They will always have that taint to them, that desire to revert back to their own way of life, destroying ours! Understand, my dear friend, the only way to stop this is to teach them from birth itself! Remove them from their birth parents, and give them a loving, magical home." Gryffindor sagged, his face despaired. "Salazar, I'm sorry, but I just cannot be a part of this. I cannot condone this, and if you do, then I have no choice but to do my duty." He unsheathed his sword, the rain hiding any trace of the tears rolling down his cheeks. Salazar nodded with confidence, but glazed grey eyes gave away his hurt. He unsheathed his sword. "Very well then, old friend. Let us duel. To the death."_

_Godric raised his hand. "Beware then, Slytherin. For words can be twisted, actions misunderstood. You have no idea how this will be taken a thousand years from now, but mind, for you may end up spawning a movement you had never intended."_

_When fire and ice finally collide, the world will be changed forever._

_Present_ _Day_

Harry crumpled the letter he had received from Dumbledore tightly in his hand as his eyes burned with tears. Voldemort had found Sirius. His godfather was dead. Voldemort got to his hiding place in the Caribbean, right after the resurrection.

_I'm so sorry for your loss, Harry_, the letter had read. He thought about him, as guilt set in. If he had just been a little less idiotic, a little stronger, a little smarter, this wouldn't have happened. He slammed his fist on his desk, sending wood splinters to the floor._ I'm so sorry, Sirius._

No, he started this. He was going to end this. He remembered what Dumbledore had said to him._'_ '_Voldemort_ _would need some time to prepare his forces, Harry. Perhaps a year.'_ Harry sat down again and calmed himself, breathing heavily, thinking. He was only at fourth-year spells, but he needed to do more. A lot more. He wasn't going to wait around for Voldemort to come to him. He was going to train, the become stronger, and magic help him, Voldemort _would not win_!

\- - - - -. -

Harry ran his twentieth lap around Privet Drive as the sun set and he trudged back to the house, opening the door.

"Take your shoes off quickly, boy! You'll muddy up the carpet!" his aunt screeched. He sighed and took them off. Dudley was watching television on the sofa while his uncle read the evening newspaper and his aunt cooked dinner. He had stopped cooking meals for them after receiving his letter to Hogwarts. They were probably afraid he'd put some weird _wizard_ thing in their food, and he wasn't the least bit sad about it, either. He went up to his rooom. "Hey, Hedwig, girl," he said as he scratched her wing. She hooted. "Yes, I have a letter. Can you take this to Dumbledore?" He let her out of the cage and tied it to her leg. He waved as she flew out of the room.

It was a request for some books in the Hogwarts library and extra training. He didn't know how Dumbledore would reply, but he needed those books. The training as well. He wasn't going to defeat Voldemort if he had no knowledge about him, or any spells above fourth year. He also asked for extra training, and this was the first step he needed to take. If he had to participate in this war, he was going to be on the side against Voldemort.

_First, know thy enemy._

…

Harry read the chapter again, as he forcibly tried to clear his mind. Dumbledore had sent him the books, recommended learning Occlumency, and resolved to give him extra training in Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione didn't send any letters, and he couldn't help but feel a little hurt. The emotion intruded on his thoughts as he gave up again. He was delighted about the books, though, and tried the wand movements of the spells he learnt as he mouthed the incantations. Sadly, Dumbledore wrote that he would only tell Harry about Voldemort's life at Hogwarts. It didn't matter, though, as he focused on clearing his mind.

_Giza Pyramids_

_Midnight_

Voldemort led three of his followers as he slashed with his wand and killed the guard in front of the tomb. Muggles. He sneered as Bellatrix killed the other Muggles present outside. They stormed inside the pyramid, as he disabled the fire curse outside the two thousand year old door and laughed. He was inside. This happiness did not last for long, though, because as soon as they entered the chamber, a sand dragon emerged, clearly present to guard the tomb. He called to his followers to hit the dragon in the eye as the dragon swiped him, he flew back and he hit the door.

He got up, murderous rage dancing in his eyes. This dragon would feel the wrath of Lord Voldemort.

"_Conflagerous!"_ he roared as a wall of fire hit the dragon's back and combusted. It staggered back. _"Glaci!"_ The dark curse of a thousand ice spikes stabbed the dragon. _"Praemium!" _he cast finally, as the jagged purple curse hit the mouth of the dragon, and it exploded in a cloud of sand. He looked at his followers.

Bellatrix was mildly injured, Dolohov was untouched, and Rowle was dead. No great loss. Rowle had been weak anyway. The dragon had been a good defence, but it couldn't keep out the strongest wizard of the age, could it? Voldemort laughed as he read the glowing, red runes inscribed in the tomb of Imhotep. He laughed maniacally, a deep, booming laugh. Strong magic indeed. He knew how to break the blood wards! Harry Potter was finished!

He gestured to his followers as they all stood still. "Prepare for attack. We will kill Harry Potter in fifteen days."

….

Perspiration trickled down Harry's forehead as he pushed up the dumbbell he had spent most of his money on for the fiftieth time and gasped for air. He really needed to go to Gringotts. He was still frustrated with himself for not learning Occlumency, and according to the book _Battle Strategies_, he needed to learn how to summon his wand, wandlessly. He wiped the sweat off his forehead as he rested for a few minutes and reread the letter from Ron.

_Listen, mate, I'm really sorry for not writing you sooner. We were all just a little sad, you know? Also, how are you, Harry? You know that Sirius wouldn't want you to feel guilty. There's no reason you should, anyway. You couldn't have known that You-Know-Who was going to come back. You saved lives by surviving and telling us he's back. Ginny's really sad, though. Dad and Mum are trying to cheer her up._

Harry pushed down the hint of jealousy that Ginny's parents could comfort her. He appreciated the letter, though, especially that Ron knew exactly what he had been thinking. The one from Hermione came from her new owl, Em.

_Harry, I'm so sorry about Sirius. I was shocked when I heard it and I can't imagine how you feel. Sirius really loved you, all right? Harry, I know you. Don't feel guilty. It wasn't your fault._ _It's_ _You-Know-Who's. How are your studies? I hope you are planning on finishing your homework._

He felt a little happier, really, but it stung somehow. _Sirius really loved you._ Everyone who really loved him was dead. He put his wand on his desk as went to the other side of the room and concentrated, moving his hands in a slashing movement. "_Accio!_" It didn't budge.

"_Accio_!" Nothing.

"_Accio!_" Nothing. Bugger.

He read that part of the book again.

_Summoning a wand wandlessly is one of the most important battle moves. If one is disarmed, one is helpless. Therefore, it gives one a distinct advantage in case he or she is disarmed. One must feel the _need_ for a wand and let that take over as the primary emotion. Desperation works best. One can also call out to the wand soundlessly, if they have a strong connection with it._

Harry concentrated and felt the need for his wand. He needed it more than anything else. Ever. "_Accio_" The wand moved five centimetres.

He cheered as Hedwig was startled from her sleep and hooted at him.

"Sorry, girl. Just look, alright? _Accio!_"

The wand moved at least ten centimetres. Hedwig didn't look like she thought it was anything to be proud of, though. She went back to sleep. He childishly stuck his tongue out at her. "Fine, be that way."

"_Accio!_"

It moved across the room to his hand. He celebrated. He practiced it a few more times until he was sure that it was done, and went back to learning Runes, the ancient language of magic itself. Dumbledore had kindly sent him all the textbooks on the subject, and Harry found it fascinating, especially due to the possibility of _combining_ spells.

_Fourteen Days Later, Privet Drive_

_3:00 am_

Voldemort inscribed the runic circle on the border of the blood wards and gave a guttural chant in Old Celtic. He slashed at his arm with a knife and let the blood fall on the ground. Another ten minutes, and Harry Potter was dead.

…

Harry woke up in agony. His scar was burning furiously. He screamed and thrashed around, then got up, grabbing his scar as he saw Voldemort outside Privet Drive, chanting, in his mind. Voldemort was here. Panic set in as his heart pounded and his breath quickened. He needed to leave and with a heavy heart, he realised he didn't have time to save anyone else. He quickly scribbled out _Help. Voldemort's at Privet Drive _on a spare piece of paper and told Hedwig to take it to Dumbledore as fast as she could. She hooted in affirmation and flew away.

Harry snatched his broom from his trunk and threw on his Invisibility Cloak. He readied himself and took off through the window, scraping the top of his head on the sill. Right after him, the house exploded. The whole street became a conflagration of fire. Harry looked on, shocked. What remained of his family was dead. All the people in Privet Drive, dead. Mrs. Figg, dead. He felt a burning anger, _fury_.

Voldemort would pay.

A jagged chunk of concrete hit him in the shoulder. He groaned painfully, but flattened himself on the broom, willing it to go faster. He was pelted with chunks of building and he knew he was bleeding profusely. _Point Me The Burrow_, he whispered, weak, as the wand lit up north west. The wind whipped around him, as his breath slower and formed patterns in the cold air. He flew for almost an hour, unable to take his hands off his broom, before he started growing dizzy. He knew he had lost too much blood. He started to descend, Invisibility Cloak loose, to tend to his wounds, but his vision slowly darkened until he felt himself falling, and all grew black.

Voldemort rejoiced.

…...

Bright eyes widened as they saw, through the trees, a small figure falling from a height of at least forty feet. The man quickly grabbed his wand and cast the Cushioning Charm. The young one froze, then floated slowly to the ground. He ran to the boy and laid a hand on his forehead, then saw the scar.

Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived. Who could have known? He laughed softly, then saw the boy's wounds. He wouldn't survive much longer without at least minimal medical treatment. The man sighed. He couldn't leave a dying child, even if this one would unnecessarily complicate his life. He picked up the boy and Disapparated.

_Eridane Manor_

"Sandy!" the man cried out as he carried the boy in. The house elf appeared in front of him. "Who is this, master?"

"No matter, little one, just give him a few Blood Replenishing Potions from my lab, care for his wounds, and tell Delly to prepare a room for him."

"Yes, master." Sandy and the boy disappeared.

The man sighed. He couldn't help but be intrigued by Harry Potter. The one prophesied to destroy Voldemort. He had heard tales of the boy in school. Slain a basilisk. Interesting. Not to talk about the Triwizard Tournament. The solution to the first task was ingenious. He thought for a while. Harry Potter had quite a personal score to settle with Voldemort, after all. He wouldn't be sleeping tonight. This boy triggered far too many memories. He took a walk around the grounds of the forest instead, watching the sun rise. After an hour, he decided to visit his guest. He went to the room where the boy was and knocked on the door. He was quite surprised when the door opened and the boy inside pointed a wand at his throat.

…

Harry woke up in a strange room and automatically went on the defensive. He wasn't in his tattered clothes anymore but in a Muggle T shirt and sweatpants. His Cloak and wand were on the table next to him, and his Firebolt was propped up near the door. He felt his back, where the worst wound had been inflicted, and found it closed, a slight bump in a jagged line. A lone dresser stood near an antique table. Then, he heard footsteps down the corridor outside and positioned himself near the door. He opened it, then jumped in front of it, and pointed a wand at the wizard outside.

He was quite old, with short, neat, white hair. Strangely, he had one green eye and one blue eye with a hideous red scar slashed diagonally through it. Both gave off an aura of steel. He wore grey robes and had a short, pointed, beard. One corner of a mouth pulled up in a smirk. "It has been some time since I've been attacked in my own home, so excuse me for not being quick enough."

"Who are you?" Harry asked, unmoved.

"If you put your wand down, boy, I would tell you,"

"Oh, I'm not putting my wand down."

"Very well," said the man as he entered, Harry's wand still pointed at him. "My name, Mr. Potter, is Forrest Eridane."

**OK guys, this is the start of the story. Please let me know what you think. Should I continue this story?**

**Thanks,**

**TheCheerfulPessimist**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. Here's the second chapter. I hope to get more reviews, I need more feedback.**

**Thanks to Sylvie for the first review!**

**Chapter 2**

_Dumbledore's Office_

Albus Dumbledore held his head in his hands. The blood wards had been breached. Harry Potter was gone, dead. He let a tear fall for the boy he had thought of like a grandson. How could the wards have been broken? It required such ancient magic…he shuddered at the thought of what Voldemort could do with it. The Magical World... He sat up, cold power in his eyes. He would only tell the press when he was ready. Harry would not die in vain. It was time to reconvene the Order of the Phoenix and contact young Mr. Longbottom. The prophecy might still _work_.

….

_Eridane Manor_

Harry slowly kept his wand down as klaxons sounded throughout the house. "Damn it!" The old man cursed as he ran out through the door and out of the manor. After a few seconds, out of curiosity, Harry followed him. What he saw stunned him.

Eridane's movement belied his age, as he duelled five griffins which had been attacking the manor. He cast a blitz of spells at once, a spectrum of colour hitting the griffins. Harry had never seen such power before. He sidestepped one's fire attack, and cast an unfamiliar grey curse at it. It roared in pain and stepped back. He cast a murky yellow curse at the other four. Three of them were hit, and shattered. But the other two were both getting closer. Harry raised his wand and yelled, "_Vulnare!"_ the dark red curse hit a griffin and caused a deep gash in its back. The old man nodded to him, and cast the same murky yellow curse at the rest. They shattered and Eridane turned back to him. He had made it through without a scratch.

Harry just stared in disbelief.

Eridane dusted off his robes. "This forest holds a variety of dangerous creatures, boy. When you came in last night, it triggered a temporary gap in my wards."

Harry felt a little guilty. "Sorry."

"Eh, it is all right. The wards are closed now. Now, boy, follow me." He went back inside. Harry followed him to a study like room, holding dozens of hardcover books and a table holding obscure glass instruments. Eridane took out an envelope.

"Do not touch anything. Here, this envelope is a portkey. It will take you right outside the Hogwarts gates. You might even be on time for breakfast. Touch it." "Wait! How do you duel like that?"

Forrest felt something akin to pity for the boy. So young, and having fate force him to be a killer. "Experience and training. Now, touch the envelope."

"Teach me!"

He froze and whirled around. "What did you say?"

"Can you please teach me?"

Eridane stared at Harry for a moment before regretfully shaking his head. "No."

Harry was shocked. "Why not?"

"This is not my war, boy."

Harry was desperate. Surely, if he knew about Voldemort…"Do you know that Voldemort is back?" Eridane snorted. "Do you take me for a fool? Of course I know!"

"Then why won't you help me?"

"I told you, this is not my war."

"It soon will be," Harry said softly.

"What did you say?"

His anger got the better of him. "I said it SOON WILL BE!" he started pacing. "Voldemort has just begun. When he's done with Britain, the whole world is next. You cannot run, you cannot hide. He is going to kill all the Muggleborns, he's going to kill the Muggles, and he's going to kill me. You are powerful. You and Dumbledore together could defeat Voldemort. You could help train me, you could teach me. But you won't, because you're _scared_, and you're _selfish_."

Eridane laughed softly, "Anyone else, I would have challenged them to an honour duel for that. Tell me boy, what do you have to fight for? Your parents are dead, your family is dead. You only have perhaps the few blood relatives you spent your childhood with. You could leave right now, but you're too much of a bloody _Griffindor_ for that, aren't you?"

Harry thought about Ron, and Hermione, Neville, Dean, Seamus, all the Muggleborns and how horrible the world would be if Voldemort won. "I'm fighting for my friends, I'm fighting for the world, and I'm fighting for myself. That bastard took away any chance I had of a childhood, and plagued me throughout my school years. He killed the rest of my blood relatives yesterday. If anyone gets to take him out, I DO!"

He softened his voice. "But you weren't always like that, were you?" Chips of the green ice that were his eyes bore through the old man. "You fought once, for the Light. You were one of their best fighters. Voldemort was scared of you. Then, you lost something. Your family, perhaps."

He gestured wildly to the picture on the mantelpiece. It showed a younger, grinning, Forrest with brown hair, crouching down, his arms around a smiling blond boy and a taller black-haired girl, while a short blonde woman looked on, laughing. Eridane's mask cracked a little.

"My only question is, if Voldemort killed your family, why aren't you fighting?"

"Because I have ANOTHER LIFE NOW, boy! Right next to this manor is a village. I have a good Muggle friend there. I am the godfather to his one year old daughter. If I fight, Voldemort will find them, and kill them! I have a responsibility to them!"

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, OLD MAN?! If Voldemort wins, he is going to kill them anyway, or worse! You could help. Just teach me so I won't die in the first five seconds of a duel! Just fight, help us!"

The blood slowly drained out of his face as he sat down. Whatever he might have said, the boy impressed him. The amount of magic in him, he could very well defeat Voldemort. _But only if trained properly_, that voice in his head said. It was true about Voldemort, though. Forrest had planned to take his friend's family into his protection, but Voldemort would find him. He always would.

Forrest nodded.

"I will teach you. But do not expect me to fight, for you will be sorely disappointed."

Harry nodded. One step at a time.

….

"Care for a spot of breakfast?" Harry nodded again. "Sandy!" With a crack, the house elf appeared. "Set the table for two, please."

"Yes master!" the house elf squeaked and Disapparated. Eridane motioned for Harry to follow him. He was led to an opulent, wood panelled room, with what looked like the crest of the Eridane family, a wand crossed over an eagle, painted on it, and where an ash-white table stood.

"Sit down," Harry complied and a variety of pastries appeared on the table.

Eridanus folded his bony fingers in front of him. "What do you want me to teach you?"

"Everything that will help me survive. Duelling, spells, fighting."

"What is the most advanced spell you know?"

"The Patronus Charm. Corporeal."

Eridane nodded. "Good, you might not be completely inept. What is the most dark spell you know?"

"The Bone-Breaking Curse."

"All right, we will have to fix that. You should not hesitate to use the darkest spells possible."

Harry was taken aback. "But, doesn't that make us like them?"

Eridane sighed. "Listen, boy, even the lightest of spells can be used for a dark purpose. With a strong _Wingardium Leviosa_, I can paint the ceiling with your insides. With a strong _Lumos_, I can blind you. There is power, the difference is intent. Dark spells are powerful, so use them."

Harry nodded.

"Do you know the whole prophecy?" Harry was confused. "What prophecy?"

Eridane cursed. "Forget I said it. It does not matter."

"No! Does it concern me? What does it say?"

Eridane rubbed his head. "You better see it." He pointed his wand to his head and withdrew a silver substance that he jabbed at and presented in front of the room. Harry saw…_Trelawney? _She muttered a list of lines that Harry remembered, but only one struck him.

_Neither shall live while the other survives._

He sank back in his chair as Eridane looked sadly at him. His voice came out hoarse and a little shaken. "So, it has to be me, hasn't it?" "Yes, it does."

Harry's voice grew louder in desperation. "But, Trelawney is such a fraud! What if, it's not real…?" Eridane shook his head. "Be that as it may, this is a true prophecy. It will come true, sooner or later."

"So, it's either me or him? He knows of this prophecy?"

"Yes, he does."

Harry put his head in his hands. It had to be him. Magical Britain's fate just had to rest on him. Voldemort would not win this. He couldn't. Harry's resolve hardened as his mind and heart accepted what his fate would be. He would have to win. "So, what do I start with?"

"Duelling,"

_Dumbledore's Office_

After some rest, Dumbledore sat at his table, penning a letter to Augusta Longbottom, explaining the prophecy, as he stopped to think about what he would write next. How to say that young Neville would have to kill or be killed. Then, Fawkes trilled cheerfully as a golden eagle flew in through the window and deposited a red letter. A Howler. Dumbledore was just about to burn it when a deep, booming voice emanated from it.

"_You have my Magical Oath that Harry Potter is alive and well. He will not come to any harm."_

Harry was alive! He was delighted. It was lucky that he hadn't told anyone yet, and that he had, _led_, the Muggles to believe that it was a gas explosion. Dumbledore knew that voice, and he knew that bird. He laughed loudly.

Forrest.

…

_Ten Minutes Later_

Harry gasped as he rolled to dodge a jagged black curse shot by Eridane and shot back a Stunner. He was barely a minute into the duel and he was already exhausted. He had already taken a gash to the arm but he knew that Eridane was holding back on the duel. He hastily conjured a shield that blocked the second black curse, as he cast a Bone-Breaking Curse to his opponent's legs. Eridane neatly side stepped that, at he shot a bright blue curse that caused his legs to give out from under him.

He crashed to the floor as Eridane Disarmed him.

"Well, I wager that the duel is finished now,"

"_Accio!" _Harry shouted, as his wand flew back to his hand. "_Stupefy!"_ Eridanus dodged it quickly and cast a murky green curse that Harry couldn't avoid. It hit him and he passed out.

Forrest shook his head with a slight smile. He didn't expect the wandless summoning. It was a good move, provided he had the element of surprise. "_Ennervate!_" the boy opened his eyes and rubbed his head with a slight glare at him. "First off, boy, why in the name of magic do you keep casting Stunners? You should have known it was a terrible curse when I dodged it at least seven times!"

"I was taught that it knocked your opponent out."

"There is a reason why most Aurors worth their salt don't use that, boy! It's one of the slowest curses ever created and it can be easily blocked. If you want to knock out your opponent, use the one I used. _Maerens!_" Harry imitated the wand movements. "_Maerens!_" the murky green curse shot out and hit one of the training dummies present at the end of the room.

"Good. The wandless summoning was a smart technique, though. Do you know Occlumency?"

"Just how to clear my mind."

"Well then, young Potter, it seems we have much to do."

**Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! Please leave your feedback, It'll help me write the next chapters. Next update coming out on 28th June 2019!**

**Thanks,**

**TheCheerfulPessimist**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. Here's the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for your reviews!**

**Also to Millie- Harry was practicing Accio wandlessly, so he took some time.**

**Chapter 3**

_Slytherin Manor_

Voldemort cursed in frustration. He knew that Harry Potter was alive when he didn't find the boy's remains. He could still feel his magic when he delved deep into his own mind.

He didn't know where the boy was and it aggravated him. He thought about Hogwarts, but he didn't have the strength yet anyway. He decided that Harry Potter was merely an irritation, the boy was only in fifth year.

…

The best part of the manor was that it was so heavily warded, no one could sense the magic Harry did.

…..

_Three_ _Weeks_ _Later_

"_Maerens!"_ Harry cast as the spell hit Forrest and he fell to the ground, unconscious, after a twenty minute duel. He looked around wildly. He had won! He had beat Eridane! "_Rennervate!_" He said as his mentor opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at Harry sadly. He was about to ask what was wrong when Forrest said pitifully, "Boy, don't you know not to attack a weak old man?"

Harry snorted and they both laughed. Forrest accepted Harry's outstretched hand.

Forrest was, he couldn't deny it, proud of the boy. He was extremely powerful, and it would be a tough task to take him out. But he still had more training to do before he faced Voldemort. He liked to think that his Rigel would have become like Harry. Powerful, but moral. Erica was a little more intelligent, and a thinker. He would probably have had grandchildren now if they had lived, but in some way when he thought of a grandson, he thought of Harry Potter.

_One Week Later_

Harry stood strong as Forrest invaded his mind. The stone barriers he had visualised held, but they were slowly cracking as his opponent pushed with his considerable strength. He erected another wall as beads of sweat ran down his forehead, but he ultimately failed as Eridanus broke through two minutes later and his memories ripped around him.

He released his attack. "Better, but you're still distracted. Did you do the meditation I asked?"

Harry rubbed his scar. "Yes."

"Try harder," he advised. Harry nodded.

Over the past month, true to his word, Forrest had taught him the most important magic he knew about, and Harry's duelling prowess had improved exponentially. He was now physically fitter as well, and in the evenings Forrest held discussions on various topics with him, his favourite of which was history, both magical and Muggle. Harry had consequently learnt more about history from him than he did in four years in Binns's class. He had also become a special favourite to Sandy the house elf, who seemed determined to mother him. From her, he had learnt more about his mentor.

After he had lost his family, Forrest had retreated into himself, and seemed determined to drink himself to death. But after Harry defeated Voldemort the first time, he had come out a little bit, and started having more of a life. He had befriended a Muggle history professor in the nearby village, and later became the godfather to his daughter. But he still had his bad times, where he would lie on the bed for days, holding a bottle of Ogden's finest. He had changed, the house elf confessed, after Harry came, for he finally seemed to have a purpose. In fact, Harry had not seen him drink alcohol during the month he had been there.

He had mentioned Binns to Forrest, and he told him thoughtfully, "I suppose Albus wanted to reward him for saving Hogwarts back in the 1700s."

Harry choked. "Binns saved Hogwarts?"

"Oh yes, during the rise of Emeric the Evil, Binns managed to take down all twenty of his followers when they attacked Hogwarts before they reached the inside of the castle, saving all the students. No one knows what spell he used."

Harry resolved to ask Binns in Hogwarts.

He sent weekly letters to Ron and Hermione, and after the first time they stopped asking questions about where he was. He just told them that he was safe, and training.

Forrest's voice broke through his thoughts. "Also, young one, happy birthday." Harry couldn't believe that he had forgotten his own birthday, or that Forrest had remembered.

"Thanks."

At that time, three owls stopped at the window and tapped. Except for one small owl that hit the window headfirst, and slowly slid to the ground. Harry laughed as he approached them and removed the letters. One was from Ron, another from Hermione, and the last was from Hogwarts. He read Ron's first.

_Hello Harry,_

_How are you doing, mate? All this talk about training scares me. Please don't tell me you'll be another Hermione at Hogwarts. Also, please stop badgering me about Hedwig. She's still recovering. I've also been learning some spells over the holidays, can't cast them or the Ministry will be on me faster than Mum. Also, they've all been having meetings over what to do with You-Know-Who back. Mum didn't allow us, but Fred and George helped. Also, happy birthday! I've gotten you a mini Quidditch pitch so you can remember what fun used to be like. Stay safe._

_Your friend,_

_Ron_

Harry smiled as he unwrapped the miniature pitch. It showed two Quidditch teams, which actually moved, playing. Forrest examined it.

"It's a smart bit of magic," he commented. "I mean, the craftsmanship is incredibly precise."

Harry unwrapped Hermione's present and read the letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm really happy that you started taking your studies seriously. I'm with Ron now, we're with Dumbledore and Ron's family. They're talking about You-Know-Who, but I don't know what they're doing. I hope you're safe, Harry. Here's a book on Transfiguration. Happy Birthday!_

_Your friend,_

_Hermione_

Harry was left with the book, _Advanced Transfiguration_.

"Best you not tell that one you know all the Transfiguration in that book, boy."

Harry laughed. It was true. Hermione would blow a gasket.

He opened the letter from Hogwarts. It contained a list of what he needed for fifth year. He skimmed through it quickly. It also had a letter from Dumbledore.

_Dear Harry,_

_How are you? I hope you are safe. If you are with the person I think you are, I advise you not to let his ruthless act affect you. He is like Hagrid in gentility. _

"Hagrid?" Forrest muttered, his fists clenched. "Oh, that old goat. I'll get him for that." Harry stifled a laugh.

_Harry, I hope you are learning Occlumency. Do not delve into Dark Magic, I implore you. It corrupts a person. Also, Mr. Weasley is sending you, I believe, a second present. She will arrive any moment now. She has been recovering from a grievous injury. Please give the second letter enclosed within this to the person you are with. Happy birthday, dear boy._

_Sincerely,_

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

"Hedwig!" Harry laughed delightedly as his owl flew in through the window and perched on his shoulder. She nibbled his ear affectionately as he stroked her feathers. Forrest was reading the second letter addressed to him from Dumbledore, with the occasional curse or swear word. Harry was also happily learning more expletives from the man, some he hadn't even known existed.

"Interfering old shite," Forrest muttered. "_Please don't teach him dark magic, Forrest." _He said in a mocking tone. He directed his attention back to Harry. "He wasn't always like this, you know."

Harry's attention was piqued. "Then how was he?"

His eyes took on a glazed over look. "During the fight against Grindelwald, he was just as ready as the rest of us to use Dark Magic and kill the bloody shits. He got soft during the First War, though. Talked about how there was good in everyone. Most of the old group disagreed."

Harry sighed. "Why does Britain have so many Dark Lords?"

Forrest looked at him in surprise. "That is actually a quite interesting question, boy. I didn't know you had it in you. Actually, most of the so called 'Dark Wizards' of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries actually wanted reform. But the country is so divided between Muggleborns and purebloods, Light and Dark, corruption and nepotism, that the environment is rife with distrust."

"So, the problem is that Britain is too divided."

"Correct. Also, he wants you to go to Hogwarts a week before school starts."

"That's fine."

Forrest tossed him a wrapped package. "Happy birthday, Harry."

Harry unwrapped it, stunned. It was a portable Pensieve.

"I thought you would have at least a few memories you would want to forget."

He was at a loss for words. "Forrest…thank you."

"No problem."

…..

_One Week Later _

"Your mental shields are very strong. Good," Forrest commented. "Now, Leglimency is not so difficult after learning Occlumency…"

Harry had a crazed grin on his face that almost made Forrest regret what he was about to teach him.

…..

_The Next Day_

"Now, an animagus form could be very useful on the battlefield. As in, if your animal has natural shielding. Also, one is not as easily affected by magic if in animal form. You must first discover what your animal."

"What animagus form do you take?" Harry asked.

Forrest transformed into a large white wolf, however with the same eyes. Harry was impressed.

"How do I discover my animagus form? Can you be a magical creature?"

"Of course you can be a magical creature. You test your magical aura. There's a spell for this. _Animus Revelio!_"

The spell enveloped Harry for a few seconds and presented a picture of a terrifying creature that Harry squinted to make out. "Is that a…dragon?"

"Yes and that makes quite a lot of sense. Dragons are a part of the snake species. They speak Parseltongue."

"That's bloody cool!"

"Yes, now, can you change any part of your body on will?"

Harry thought for a while. "Sure. I can change my hair, and some parts of my face."

"Good. A demonstration is in order."

Harry concentrated deeply, and a few minutes later his hair retreated back into his head and turned an electric blue. His nose grew longer.

Forrest clapped once. "Very good. You could become an animagus sooner than I thought."

"But I thought it took years." Harry said, thinking of his father and Sirius.

"There are new advances in this field now. That spell was only created five or so years ago. That was perhaps a couple of decades ago. Only those with an above average aura can become one, but if you have such an aura, such a process will only take a few weeks."

"A few weeks!" he exclaimed.

"Definitely not more than two months. But you need to know your animal. So I suggest that you do a substantial amount of research on dragons."

"I will."

Harry spent his afternoons in the Eridane family library.

_Two Weeks Later_

Harry stood in front of the fireplace, on the day Dumbledore asked him to return to Hogwarts. Hedwig was on his shoulder, and his cloak and Firebolt were shrunken and in his pocket. The clothes Forrest had given him were in an old grey backpack he had bequeathed to Harry.

"Goodbye, Sandy," Harry smiled ruefully as the house elf hugged him. She looked at him and smiled.

"Come visit us again, please!"

"Of course," he said, as Forrest approached him. He looked almost uncomfortable, but smiled at Harry.

"You've been a quick learner, boy. Although quite irritating as only most teenagers can pull off, if you practice you could surpass Albus one day. Enjoy your days at school, but remember what you must do, in the end. Practice Leglimency and Animagus transformations, but do not let _anyone_ know your battle strategies. If you need help, you can owl me. I'll always try."

He then softened a bit. "Goodbye, Harry. Stay safe."

Harry didn't know what to say to him. He had taught him most of the magic he knew, albeit at first reluctantly. "Thank you, for all you've taught me. If I survive this war, know that it was because of you."

He threw in the Floo powder, stepped in and called "Albus Dumbledore's office!"

He disappeared.

Forrest smiled sadly. He hoped the boy would win, but ultimately, he felt he had done something substantial in the war for the first time since he lost his family. He felt that Emma would be proud of him.

**There it is, guys. I hope you liked it. I've changed the name Eridanus to Eridane. If you want to see more of the training, tell me and I'll add a chapter. Next update coming out on the 3****rd**** of July 2019! I hope you review!**

**Thanks,**

**TheCheerfulPessimist**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. Here's the next chapter. Also to Millie- Dumbledore is not tracking Harry. He recognized Forrest's bird and voice.**

**This is going to be the one of last light chapters for a while. Onwards is the war.**

**Chapter 3**

_November 1944_

_Manchester_

_Albus Dumbledore surveyed the wreckage around him with a sense of heavy sadness. He saw a child's body a few feet away from him and turned away, sickened. Sickened that Gellert would have done something like this. This was not the friend he had grown up with, although it was entirely possible that 'his friend Gellert' was just another persona the man had adopted. He sighed heavily._

_The Aurors had gone home, as did all the rescue workers, understanding that there were none left to save. But Albus _needed_ to see this. He needed to understand what he was fighting for._

_'Crack!' A loud noise echoed throughout the battlefield as Grindelwald and three of his followers, all dressed in the same black robes embedded with the sign of the Deathly Hallows, or as Grindelwald liked to call it, his sign, appeared opposite Albus. He laughed loudly._

"_Ah, Albus, all alone, Mon Freunde! How sad, how devastating to the Light, that their leader will be killed today."_

_Dumbledore looked around in despair. He could possibly taken Grindelwald alone, but with three of his followers, he didn't stand a chance. He was going to die today. He readied his wand. If he was going to die, he would die with his weapons in his hands, fighting to the last breath._

_As he started to cast the first spell, a jet black curse streaked through the air and hit one of Grindelwald's followers, who died on the spot, blood spouting from his mouth. Albus almost gagged at the sight. The others immediately put up shields around them. Albus looked around wildly for his helper, if not saviour._

_A young man with tousled brown hair covered in white dust, and dirty silver robes emblazoned with a crest Albus recognised as the Eridane family's, climbed out of the rubble and came to stand beside Albus. He nodded quickly to him, and the duel began._

_Albus battled Grindelwald, as the young Eridane took the two followers. The battlefield lit up as spells were cast. Albus slashed his wand diagonally as a streak of fire shot towards his opponent. Grindelwald flicked his wand up as a shield of water countered the fire, steam sizzling from the shield. He sent another spell quickly, as the Entrails-Expelling Curse shot towards Albus, who conjured a block of stone to stop it. He then swiped his wand and the block speeded towards Grindelwald, who dodged._

_Albus was losing strength as he heard a shout of triumph. The young man had just executed a three-move, one of the deadliest duelling techniques, which immediately killed his other opponent. He then joined him in duelling Grindelwald, who realised that he wouldn't be able to win against two wizards of Albus's calibre. He Disapparated with a loud crack._

_Albus turned to the man, who was looking down at the ground. He was at a loss for words. He wanted to thank him, but the question that came out of his mouth was, "Why were you in the remains of that building?"_

_He chuckled, but there was a note of sadness when he spoke. "That was my family's house. There were no survivors."_

_Albus was shocked. "I'm sorry for your loss."_

_He shrugged. "They were old anyway." Albus bowed in respect. "Thank you for all of your help. What is your name?"_

_He removed his cracked silver sunglasses and looked up as Albus saw two eyes of different colours, one a dull blue, one a bright green, half-closed in pain._

"_Forrest Eridane."_

…_.._

_Present Day_

_Hogwarts_

Harry tumbled out of the fireplace and got up, grumbling to himself. Hedwig flew out of his way and hooted at him. He brushed the dust off his robes as he glared at Dumbledore. "You couldn't send a Portkey?"

His eyes twinkled at him. "This was faster."

"Of course it was. Why did you call me back early?"

He took on a solemn look. "I wanted to offer my condolences to you, Harry, for Sirius and your relatives. Thirty three people died in that attack. How did you escape?"

Harry rubbed his scar (Merlin, he was making a habit of that), as he narrated what happened. "I had a kind of vision, I guess, where I saw him breaking into the blood wards in Privet Drive. I knew he was going to kill me, so I grabbed my Cloak and took off on the broom."

Dumbledore grew pale as he heard about the visions. "So it has begun…" he murmured softly to himself. His voice returned to normal volume as he again began speaking to Harry, but was interrupted. "I thought you were _protecting_ Sirius, Headmaster." His voice cracked. "Then how did Voldemort get to him?"

Dumbledore sighed and looked down at the table. "Harry, I simply wasn't fast enough. After your daring escape from the Tournament, I spent so much time arguing with foolish Cornelius that when I checked on the protections for Sirius later, Voldemort had already killed him. I am so sorry."

"But why would Voldemort target Sirius first, anyway?"

Dumbledore looked back up at him. "Didn't you know, Harry? The team of Sirius Black and James Potter were simply one of the deadliest Voldemort had ever faced. They were responsible for the capture and deaths of close to seventy of his followers." He felt a strange sense of pride at his father and godfather.

"Harry, did you learn Occlumency?" Harry nodded.

"Do you mind if I test you?" Harry shrugged. "No, let's try this."

"_Leglimens!" _Harry erected a concrete wall in front of his memories, as a powerful force pushed into it. He held it in place, and built another wall. His hands spread, arms straining, he began to weaken. Cracks appeared in those walls as he patched them up fast. But in the end, the force broke through and Harry fell back into the chair, exhausted.

"Excellent, Harry, simply excellent! You need a bit more practice, but this is wonderful work! And so much faster than I expected. I shouldn't be surprised, though. Lily and James mastered Occlumency faster than everyone in the Order."

Harry was confused. "What's the Order?"

"The Order of the Phoenix was the group I formed to help fight against Voldemort during the First War. At its maximum, we had up to two hundred members."

Harry's eyes widened. "Are you reforming it now that Voldemort is back? Can I join?"

"Why yes, Harry. In fact, that is why Miss Granger joined Mister Weasley's family this summer. We have been recruiting and making plans. You are too young to join the war effort right now, but after two years, you will be welcome." His voice lowered conspiratorially. "Also, Harry, how did you find young Eridane? He is really quite solitary. I've been looking for him for twenty years!"

Harry laughed and sat down opposite him. "I was flying to Hogwarts after the attack, but I was injured by the rubble. I lost a lot of blood and I passed out. Forrest found me and healed me. After some persuasion, he agreed to help me." Dumbledore gazed out of the window sadly. "Ah, yes, the poor boy did have quite a terrible shock during the First War, Harry. He is also one of the most enigmatic men you may ever know."

Harry grew serious. "Dumbledore, why didn't you tell me about the prophecy?"

He sighed heavily. "I should have known that he would tell you, Harry. I'm sorry, I just wanted you to be happy for at least a short while."

Harry leaned forward as his face grew sharper. "I know it now, Dumbledore, but I need your help for this war. I'm far stronger now, but I can't beat Voldemort yet. The best I can do is hold him off. I can perhaps go toe to toe with McGonagall or Flitwick, though. That has to change. I don't need the kind, grandfatherly Albus Dumbledore who wants me to be _happy_, I need the Albus Dumbledore who defeated Grindelwald and locked him up in his own prison!" His voice rose sharply towards the end of that sentence. "And if that means using Dark Magic, I will do so."

"Also, I am withdrawing from Herbology, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and Potions." Dumbledore was just opening his mouth to protest when Harry snapped at him, "I don't need those subjects, Headmaster! I need the subjects I can actually use the knowledge of in the war! I need advanced training, I need specialized instruction." His voice softer, he continued, "So please, help me."

Dumbledore took off his glasses and wiped them. "Yes, Harry, you will receive all the help I can give you."

Harry shrugged. "Why did you ask me to come early, Headmaster?"

He grew grim again. "See, Harry, now that Voldemort knows you're alive, he might resort to extreme measures to kill you. Like…"

"Hitting the Hogwarts Express." Harry breathed. "So your plan was that if I stay here, he won't attack. But how will he find out?"

"Severus shall leak it to him."

…..

_Two Days Later_

Harry shook his head, confused. "So you are saying that Voldemort_, _who champions pure blood supremacy, is a half blood whose birth name was _Thomas Riddle Junior?!_"

"Why, Harry, I thought you knew all this. His name was revealed in the Chamber of Secrets, and he shared his life story with you in Little Hangleton."

"I am so terribly sorry, Dumbledore, that I wasn't giving my full attention to Riddle's delusional ramblings when I was facing the most feared Dark Lord in _history_ and therefore devising a _plan_ _to_ _survive_!"

"Apology accepted, dear boy." They both laughed.

"On the matter of more serious topics, I have asked masters in various magical disciplines around the world for help in tutoring you, and they all accepted, except of course Forrest Eridane. But however, my dear friend Alastor agreed to come _early_ to help you." Someone rapped twice on the door. "Ah, that must be him."

Harry stood back in apprehension as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody clunked inside. He raised a hand in greeting and took a swig of what appeared to be pumpkin juice from his hip flask. "Hello there, Potter,"

"Hello, Professor."

"Aye, I wouldn't call me a professor, would I? Didn't get round to much teaching last year."

Harry opened his mouth to reply but was waved off. "Anyway, enough with the chit chat. Albus here asked me to teach you duelling and physical fighting." Harry smirked. Forrest had taught him to notice his opponent's duelling patterns, and Alastor Moody's had been the chief example used for dissection.

"Wipe that grin off your face, Potter. I want a duel, and Albus so kindly allowed us the Transfiguration classroom for it." He whistled sharply. "Well, get up. What are you waiting for?"

Harry shot a pleading look at Dumbledore, who was trying hard not to laugh, and followed him.

…...

"_Vulnare!" _Moody cast as Harry rolled out of the curse's path. He was perspiring heavily and reflected that he needed to end the duel quickly. "_Solaris!_" he shouted as the dazzlingly bright light erupted from his wand and blinded Moody. In that split second of confusion, Harry Disarmed and then Stunned him.

A pair of hands started clapping slowly and Harry whirled around to the source of the noise. He saw Dumbledore standing there, a beaming grin on his face.

"Oh, well _done_, Harry!"

He awakened Moody, who got to his feet, mumbling quite a long list of expletives to himself, most of which involved Moody's foot and Harry's rectum. He grasped Harry's hand and shook it. "I can't teach you much more, boy. You're really very powerful. Not a word of this to anyone, I'll never be taken seriously again!"

Harry nodded sincerely and turned to Dumbledore.

"Well, Harry, it seems I have to start teaching, let's say, next level spells."

**Well guys, thanks for the reviews! Constructive criticism is welcome.**

**Thanks,**

**TheCheerfulPessimist**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey there guys. Here's chapter 5. I hope you enjoy and leave a review.**

**Chapter 5**

_Hogsmeade_

_Jack Kirk made his way over to the Phoenix Tavern, where his employer and teammates would be waiting. He kept his hood up and went through the doors, where he spotted Edward and Lucas, his old mates, sitting at a table. They nodded tersely to each other as the bartender walked over deposited a tray containing three bottles of beer and a note on it and walked away without a word. Lucas picked it up and read it._

Stay there and wait for a couple of minutes. At seven o'clock, go upstairs where I will see you. Feel free to have the drinks.

_Jack shrugged at the others and took a bottle. He didn't usually do anonymous jobs like this, but since the First War, all the fighters had been laid off, leaving hundreds unemployed. It didn't help that they all were muggleborn. He mostly survived by doing odd jobs here and there, but his little brother had become dangerously sick recently, and he couldn't afford the treatment. His son would also be starting Hogwarts that year, and he wanted to get him all his school supplies first-hand. He popped open the cap._ _At__ the chime of seven o'clock, they made off upstairs and entered a room solely furnished by a sofa and a chair opposite that, on which sat a short man in a black cloak with the hood up. He gestured for them to sit down. They did so and he started speaking._

"_You all must have heard the rumours of Voldemort resurfacing, no matter how much that fool Fudge tries to stick his head in the sand and take the rest of the population with him."_ _They all nodded._

"_Do you believe it?"_

_Jack did. He didn't want to, but he did. If he had the money, he would already have dragged his family to France or Spain. Edward was perhaps of the same state of mind. They nodded. But Lucas shook his head._

"_Why not?"_

"_Because there's no proof."_

_Always the same. Lucas always refused to believe anything without evidence. It made sense, his way, for it allowed him not to be swayed by gossip and rumour. The figure seemed amused._ "_What if I could prove it to you?"_

"_Then I will believe it."_

_He nodded and took out his wand. Jack immediately placed his hand on his, just in case, but their employer just pointed it at his head and removed a memory. He muttered a charm under his breath, and they all saw it._ _They saw a rat-faced man slice his hand off and dump it in a cauldron. They saw him draw out bone from a grave, and blood from another person they could not see. They heard a hiss of pain, but from whom, they didn't know. In the end, they saw a tall, snake faced creature with crimson eyes, ascend from the cauldron._

_Lord Voldemort._

_They stared in horror at the man opposite them. Jack knew it had not been altered with a quick Revelio. That only left one possibility. You-Know-Who was truly back._ _Luke__ nodded. "What do you want us to do?"_

"_Voldemort needs this time to prepare his forces, but there is no way I am just going to let him. I will pay you each 300 galleons now, with an extra two hundred for every assignment you complete. There will of course be a bonus for the more dangerous ones."_

_Edward butted in. "Yes, but what are the assignments?"_

"_I want you to kill, assassinate, whatever you call it, the strongest earlier supporters of the Dark Side. I will give you a list."_ _If any of them were surprised, they didn't show it. Jack accepted it first and shook the man's hand. Then, both Ed and Luke came up. This was right up their alley. But he still had a question._ "_Who are you?"_

_The man removed his cloak and smiled, green eyes glowing. If they weren't surprised before, they were gobsmacked now._

_Harry Potter._

…

_Hogwarts_

Dumbledore stood up as someone knocked on the door. "Ah, Harry, may I introduce you to Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Harry stood as a stern-looking woman bearing a close resemblance to Susan walked inside. He shook hands with her. "Greetings, Mr. Potter." She said, her voice steely. He bowed as she gave a slight smile.

"Harry, Madam Bones is here to help you understand all the fighting patterns of the Death Eaters in the First War." Dumbledore said happily. Harry's interest was now fully captured. She rolled out a map of Great Britain on the table and started speaking. "Now, Mr. Potter, they did not start with London itself. In fact, first the borders were taken over," The borders turned red. "Then, the weaker cities on the mainland, and then finally, London." The whole map glowed scarlet.

"Now, first, shock tactics were used. Giants, trolls. The Minister at the time refused to give in to Voldemort's demands and therefore, Dementors were let loose upon the Muggle population."

Harry asked, "But if Dementors already joined Voldemort, why are they still guarding Azkaban? I mean, won't it be easier for any Dark Wizard to get to them, then?" Bones grimaced. "Exactly. Sadly, Minister Fudge blatantly denied that they would fight against Britain, and reinstalled them in Azkaban."

"So, they mostly used the Unforgivable Curses, but that backfired when they realised that if a wizard of average power used those Curses many times, they would lose power. So, they use curses like Bone-Breakers, Reductors, and even elemental spells. Usually, the Dark Creatures would be on the frontline, and the Death Eaters would arrange themselves in the shape of the Dark Mark." A diagram appeared on the table. She pointed to where the skull met the snake. "You see, this is the weakest point in battle. They are spread so thin here, it is a simple matter to attack the rest from the inside."

"But, Potter, understand, you cannot trust many people. Spies are, and always will be, one of the major factors of victory. Perhaps even your closest friends are secretly working for another."

…

_Four Days Later_

Harry sat, stroking Hedwig, on his four poster bed in the Gryffindor dormitory , which seemed eerily empty without the other boys. He was still proud of himself for employing Jack Kirk's team, but he needed to be a little more discreet. Dumbledore would surely not approve of this. He needed to find a room big enough to practice his animagus form, a dragon would be a great advantage in a duel.

According to Dumbledore's sources, since the failed attack on Privet Drive Voldemort had ramped up recruitment and plans tenfold. In response, Harry had been duelling Dumbledore every day, and being tutored on spell techniques by night. Albus had realised that Harry outdid practically everyone in duelling, so he had been tutoring Harry on his fledgling Leglimency skills and true to his word, ancient magic, Dark and Light.

He smiled sadly as he looked at the photograph in his hand. It showed his father, Sirius, Remus, and his mother, in front of a fountain. They were making silly poses and laughing at each other. Pettigrew was in the picture at first, but Harry had cropped him out. _Remus._

Harry suddenly sat up and hit his head as he realised. Remus. He had forgotten about Remus. He felt a strong sense of shame at this. Remus must have been even more saddened than Harry had been. All of his friends were now dead. He was ashamed of himself. He grabbed a piece of parchment and started writing.

_Dear Remus,_

_How are you? It's Harry. I'm so sorry for not writing sooner, I was just sad, and busy. I'm so sorry about Sirius, Remus. I was devastated when I heard. Do you want to see me? I could come to your place. Otherwise, I will be in Hogwarts._

_Harry_

He sent it off with Hedwig. It wasn't enough, but he would write more later.

He sprang up as the clock chimed seven o'clock, the students would be arriving now. He dressed in school uniform and ran down to the Great Hall, where crowds of students had already assembled. He spotted Ron and Hermione, waved at them, and walked over to where they were sitting.

"Harry!" Hermione cried as she wrapped her arms around him. He squirmed out of her grasp and smiled weakly. Ron thumped him on the back. "Harry, we're so sorry about Sirius and your family," Hermione said. Harry felt a wave of ice cold wash over him. "Yeah, well…I am too."

He felt a little uncomfortable. Ron realised this and changed the subject.

"Did you hear, mate? Me and Hermione are Prefects!"

Harry felt a strange mix of emotions at this. He was happy, but a small part of his mind thought _How is Ron better than me, anyway?_ He quickly clamped down on that part and smiled at them.

"Wow, really? That's great news."

Ron relaxed. "Fred and George have been taking the mickey out all summer, though. I thought for sure that you would've gotten it!" "No, I've been in too much trouble." Harry said lightly.

He abstained from conversation after that till dinner, and clapped particularly hard when little 'Kirk, Henry' was Sorted into Gryffindor. "Wait, who's that?" Hermione asked, eyes narrowed, pointing to a squat woman completely dressed in pink at the Head Table.

"New Defence teacher, probably," Ron said.

He was right, as Dumbledore introduced Dolores Umbridge, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. But he also introduced a new teacher for Care of Magical Creatures.

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry asked, but Hermione shushed him to listen to the speech Umbridge was making, which for once Harry paid attention to. After that, Hermione and him whirled around to face each other. "The Ministry's interfering in Hogwarts!" they said at the same time.

"Really?" Ron asked. "How?" "We don't know." Harry said, grim. He was sure it wasn't going to be good. They made cheerful conversation throughout dinner, but Harry resolved to tell them about the prophecy after. Maybe they could help him.

After dinner, he called them to a remote corner of the common room and cast a privacy charm. Before Hermione could ask him what charm it was, he said, "I have something extremely important to tell you both," He launched into the full explanation, starting with Trelawney's prophecy, then the attack on his family in 1981, and finally, the attack on Privet Drive. They were stunned. Hermione's hand was over her mouth. Ron was gaping, like a goldfish. Tears were starting in Hermione's eyes.

"So, Harry, it ha-has to be you?" she asked tearfully. Harry nodded. They stayed in that silence for some time before Ron finally said, "Who knew that quack would actually give a real one someday?" Like a switch flipped, they all laughed. Ron grew serious. He slung his arm over Harry's shoulder. "I'm with you, Harry. All the way."

Hermione did the same on the other shoulder. "So am I."

…

Harry made plans with them about the defence group till midnight. Hermione came up with using the Protean Charm for communication. Ron gave strategies for the curriculum. However, they agreed that if Umbridge was a good teacher, they wouldn't really need the group. They both admitted jealousy that Harry could skip Potions, but Harry decided to attend at least a few classes of Care Of Magical Creatures.

But a real shock happened the day after at breakfast. Dumbledore was conspicuously absent from his seat as hundreds of owls swooped in, dropping newspapers like there was no tomorrow. All of them bore the same front page headline.

**_Dark Lord Attacks Diagon Alley!_**

_Estimated casualties nearing seven hundred!_

_By: Ian Halder_

Harry started from his chair and all the teachers got up and left, presumably to the staff room. Umbridge looked furious. He looked, wide eyed, at his friends.

"Oh God. Oh God. _Seven hundred people!"_ he whispered, shocked. He heard wails as students recognised the names of family members from the list of casualties published. Seamus was gripping his newspaper with white knuckles as he realised his mother's name was there and let out a rage filled shout. Ron and Hermione ran over to comfort him. Harry was frozen in place.

Wails and sobs echoed throughout the Great Hall, especially from the first or second years, when recognizing parents' or siblings' names. Older students gathered around to comfort them. Harry quickly scanned the list and his heart sank as he recognised the names of Tom the bartender, Florean Fortescue, and others. Luckily, there were none of the Weasleys or Forrest, nor Kirk and his team. A sniffling second year handed him a piece of parchment.

_Harry, _

_Meet me in my office at 8:00pm. We have much to discuss. I like Cockroach Clusters._

_Albus Dumbledore_

Harry smirked at the last line before crumpling the piece of parchment in his fist. The day passed slowly. There were no classes for the day, as students were picked up by relatives to go to funerals, and the ones with no one left were escorted by Ministry officials. At 8 o'clock on the dot, Harry excused himself from the silent huddle in the Gryffindor common room, and went up to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore gestured to a seat which Harry took.

"Now, Harry, I'm sure you must have wondered where Hagrid was all this time." Harry nodded vigorously. "He has been doing work for the Order of the Phoenix for the past three months, which is building cooperation with the giants." Harry spluttered, "What?" He was not expecting this.

"Harry, before you defeated Voldemort, he had gained the support of almost all dangerous non-human unions. Giants were the most useful, followed by the vampires. I had hoped that Hagrid and Madam Maxime, being half-giants themselves, would enlist their cooperation."

Harry blinked. Then hit upon a terrifying realisation. "Professor, what about the Dementors?" Dumbledore sighed and folded his fingers together. "Even with all the motions I have passed to have them secured by the ICW, they maintain that Dementors are safe. It is quite disheartening, and I plan to teach the Patronus Charm this year."

…..

There were no classes the rest of the week, as students attended funerals and mourned. They spent it in a kind of daze, as if they were just watching life but not participating in it. On the seventh day, they went to breakfast to see the Great Hall walls covered in black shrouds, for each name. Choked sounds of surprise were heard. Umbridge had left, so Harry assumed that Fudge had resigned. Dumbledore stood up and surveyed the student population.

"I would like to offer all of you my condolences for that devastating attack and your losses. The attack was committed by Lord Voldemort."

Gasps rang across the hall. The teachers closed their eyes.

"It has been publicly acknowledged that he is back, and in an emergency meeting of the ICW, it has been ruled that refugees from Britain will not be accepted by other countries. Cornelius Fudge had been deposed and the new Minister of Magical is Rufus Scrimgeour, who has declared a state of emergency. Students who have no remaining family will be taken in as a ward of the Ministry and complete their education in Hogwarts."

His tone softened.

"I am incredibly sorry, children, but war is coming. Professor Umbridge has left, so I will be taking over as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for a short while. Our houses need to stand together, or we will fall apart. From today, every class will be a double class, and each of your partners will be from a different house. We will not tolerate slurs against a house, or petty duelling. Be strong, students. Britain is descending into darkness."

He walked out of the hall as whispers resumed and teachers handed out new timetables. Harry, Ron and Hermione had decided to start the group anyway the night before, because more attacks would surely follow. Word had travelled through mouth, and in total, thirty students had agreed to join the first meeting.

Harry penned a letter to Forrest for advice.

**OK, guys, things are happening fast now. I hope you review, the feedback is really important to me. Next chapter up by 12th July 2019!**

**Thanks,**

**TheCheerfulPessimist**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter franchise.**

_Eridane Manor_

"_Now, a three-move is one of the hardest techniques to execute in dueling. First, you need the spell, 'Tribus'. Then, you flick your wand upwards, which shoots a jet of burning plasma at your opponent. You need to clearly visualize this. Next, you slash horizontally to the left, which sends a Cutter and a Bone Breaker at your opponent. Finally, you slash diagonally, which casts a hundred ice spikes at your enemy. Remember, clearly visualize this."_

_Harry nodded._

"_Well, what are you waiting for?"_

_An Hour Later_

_Harry grit his teeth in frustration. He was still only able to finish the first stage, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't do anything more than that._

_He tried it again. A white-hot liquid shot out of his wand, then fizzled out._

"_Interesting," Forrest muttered. "Perhaps this requires a different approach. Follow me."_

_He did so, curious. Harry followed Forrest to the edge of the property, just before the wards, where he turned to face him._

"_Remember, boy, this is for you."_

_He Banished Harry outside the wards and called, "Accio Griffin!" a Griffin zoomed through the sky and hit the ward shield. It got up, enraged._

"_ARE YOU BLOODY CRAZY, OLD MAN?" Harry shouted, shocked by this turn of events._

"_You better use the three-move, or I'll do it again!" Forrest yelled back, amused._

_Harry rolled and narrowly missed a streak of fire. The Griffin was stomping towards him. He tried the three-move. Fizzled out. The Griffin was getting closer, and Harry was getting desperate._

"_TRIBUS!"_

_A shot of burning plasma hit the Griffin and it roared in pain. A Cutting Curse hit it but couldn't penetrate the thick armor. The Bone Breaker missed. However, the ice spikes rammed down its throat, and it fell to the ground, dead._

_He got up, exhausted. Forrest let him back inside the wards and he hissed as a Stinging Spell hit his hand._

"_That was for the 'bloody crazy old man' crack. That move takes a lot of magic. You should use it, maximum, two times in a duel. Therefore, you must time it just right."_

_Harry nodded._

"_Go rest. You've earned it."_

…

_Unknown Location_

_Theodore Nott Senior had been in this cell for hours. He couldn't remember how he got there, except that he had been walking down the Ministry Lane, then felt a sharp pain at the back of the head. He felt a tinge of fear but quickly reassured himself that the Dark Lord would find the people who had captured him and…he chuckled evilly._

_The door opened and three tall men wearing black masks walked in. They grabbed him roughly and hauled him to his feet. They dragged him down a narrow hallway choked with dust, where they dropped him in a chair and strapped him in._

_A figure in a black cloak stood in front of him and Nott got the impression that he was the leader. Nott felt fear now. He started speaking._

"_Theodore Nott, you are here to pay. To pay for your sins."_

_He lifted his head slightly. "What sins?"_

_The leader barked in laughter. "Tell me, Nott, do you remember Celia? Celia Kirk?"_

_Nott tried to force his expressions not to show that he didn't remember._

"_You don't, do you?" The figure said in disgust. "Well, we are lucky that we have a witness to see who kidnapped her, aren't we?"_

_One figure removed his mask. Grey eyes glimmered with hatred at Nott as he tried to remember who the blond man was._ "_Nott, meet Jack Kirk, her husband. And believe me, he holds quite a substantial grudge against you, don't you, Jack?"_

_Harry stared in disgust at Nott. Kidnapping him first was Jack's idea, although, for obvious reasons, he was extremely biased. Then, Nott unexpectedly cackled, seeming to lose his sanity._

"_Oh, that Mudblood? I only remember her because she was such…fun to play with. We took turns, you know…."_

_BLAM! Jack punched him in the face with enough force to topple the chair. He was shaking with rage as he continued to pummel him._

"_You son of a bitch, you bastard, you destroyed a wonderful person…" Tears rolled down his cheeks._

_They let it go on for quite a while, the swearing and the punches. It seemed cathartic for him. Then finally, Jack wiped his eyes and stepped away, leaving Nott a bloodied, broken mess._

_Edward stepped forward next. "Celia was my friend, you bastard." He threw a few Bone Breakers at his arms. A scream soon followed._

_Lucas was next. "Mine too." He said simply before sending a Boiling Curse at him. It was a torture curse, specially designed to make the victim feel like he was boiling from the inside._

_Harry nodded to the newest member of their squad. Allison Redwing was, in Eddie's opinion, the best Hit-Wizard out there. She carried a substantial grudge against the Dark, especially due to the fact that they had killed her brother and husband during the First War. She cast a Bone Breaker and broke Nott's knee. He howled in pain._ _Harry__ gestured at them to stop. He stepped closer to Nott and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at him. It was hard, however, especially with two swollen eyes. He put his Leglimency skills to the test and delved into his mind._

_He had to give Nott some credit, his shields were strong. But after a couple of minutes, he broke through. Memories swirled around him, he discarded one after another, looking for the one he needed. He found it._

"_Perfect," he said, with a smile. Voldemort was hiding in Slytherin Manor._

_But it didn't come without a cost. Harry was assaulted by memories of all the atrocities that Nott had committed during the First War, including what they had done to Jack's wife, and the attack on Diagon Alley._

_He clutched his head and moaned, exiting his mind. He said weakly, "Kill him," and fell to the floor. Lucas came over to check on him, but he waved him off. His vision was blurring, but he managed to make out Nott's execution by decapitation. As his headless body flopped to the ground, Harry emptied the contents of his stomach and immediately felt better. He stood up, swaying._

"_Harry, you OK?" Jack asked, concerned._

_Harry grimaced. "Yeah, I just saw, everything, all that he did to innocent people."_

_They all winced. They were fighters in the First War. Goodness knew how many times they had wanted to rip their own memories out. _"_You didn't need to do that, you know. We're adequately proficient in Leglimency." Edward chimed in._

_Harry turned to face them. He managed a weak grin._

"_I was going to have to do that sooner or later. Also, I rather it be you than me."_

"_You're a child, Harry," Allison said quietly._

"_Not any more. Good job, everyone. We are one step closer. I learned where most of them hide out, I'll tell you later on the next assignment. Goodbye."_

_They all nodded and left, except for Jack. Harry waved him back and gave him a sack of coins._

"_Hey, Jack, your brother's going to be fine. He's going to need physical therapy, though, for his legs. That's what this is for. I enrolled him in the best clinic in Britain."_

_Jack was at a loss for words. He felt a deep, crushing gratitude, followed by relief. His little brother was going to be fine! He might even regain full mobility. He nodded his thanks to Harry, unable to speak. Therapy cost quite a lot, more than he would ever have been able to afford._

_Harry nodded back, understanding._

_And Jack Kirk came to a profound realization. Even if Harry hadn't paid him, he would still follow the man to the ends of the Earth. For Harry Potter was the rarest of men, a good man._

…

_Hogwarts_

Harry sat on the sofa in the common room, reading the letter Forrest had sent him. It was midnight, and only him, Ron, and Hermione in the common room. Hermione was writing a Potions essay, while Ron was doodling on his.

_Harry Potter,_

_It is a good idea to hold a group such as this, especially after the attack on Diagon Alley. Good job, boy. I didn't know you had it in you._

_Now, assuming that they are as incredibly moronic as you were before you came under my tutelage, you should start simple. Perhaps Disarming first, then maybe the Knockout Curse._

_Patroni is a must, as is spells against other Dark Creatures. Apparition should also be taught, but since you don't know it, probably not. Do not teach them Dark Curses, but Grey should be fine. Stay safe, boy. Don't be an idiot._

_Forrest Eridane_

_Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Eridane_

Harry smiled slightly and then groaned. "What's the matter?" Hermione asked. "We still don't have a room large enough for the defence group."

"I bet Dumbledore would let us use a classroom, though," Ron piped up.

"But the point is, none of the classrooms are big enough. With so many people, we can only use the Great Hall. Not to mention the spies sure to be here in the school." "You really think You Know Who has spies here?" Ron asked.

"For sure. It's the smartest thing to do. Whether it's a teacher or a student, believe me, there are a few." He finished, grim and then sighed. "_Where _do we hold it?"

"_Think,_ Harry. Who has one of the greatest levels of knowledge about the castle and would do anything for you?" Hermione said, exasperated.

"Umm…Dobby! Hermione, you are a genius!"

Dobby popped in front of him. "Master Harry Potter was calling Dobby?"

"Yes, Dobby! Do you know a room large enough for fifty people to duel in and one that wouldn't let any Dark supporters inside?"

Dobby's tennis-ball eyes grew, if possible, even larger. He skipped a little and clapped his hands.

"Dobby knows just the place, Harry Potter, sir! We elves call it the Come and Go Room, or the Room of Requirement!"

"The Room of Requirement…" Ron muttered and then brightened. "That's what Charlie was talking about!"

Harry exchanged a confused expression with Hermione. "Ron, what?"

"When we were all eating dinner in the summer, Charlie kept referencing a room where you can find everything you need, if you wish hard enough. We begged him to tell us what it was, but he just winked at Bill. Is that the room, Dobby?"

"Yes, Harry Potter's Wheezy, it is! Wheezy must walk seven times in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy on the fifth floor and wish for the room Wheezy wants. Dobby can take you there now!" Harry yawned. "Um, Dobby, we're all a little tired now. But we'll go tomorrow!"

Hermione and Ron gave him grateful looks.

….

_Two Days Later_

Disarmers flew around the room as Harry surveyed his handiwork. Around fifty students had showed up, spooked from the attacks. Students who had lost family members came back, their resolve hardened. A bit of belligerence from Zacharias Smith aside, they had all listened and mastered the Disarming Charm. Harry felt a tinge of pride.

Neville had, since the attacks, become determined, more hardworking. Harry knew that this had something to do with his parents but admired his newfound drive. He blew the neon whistle he had spotted on a shelf and they all stopped.

"OK, guys, that was great. Now, we're going to move on to the Knockout Spell." He turned around and cast. "_Maerens!"_

The murky green curse hit a training dummy. "Pair up and try the curse," Hermione called out as they all moved to their respective pairs. "Harry, can I try it with you?"

"Sure," Harry agreed. "You go first."

"_Maerens!_" Hermione cast. A murky green light sped out and hit Harry. But it lacked power. He was only disoriented.

Neville and Ron had paired up and were trying the curse. Ron had seemed to get it in fifteen minutes, while sweat poured down Neville's forehead as he struggled. Harry excused himself and went over to him. "Flick it upwards and emphasize the _Mae _part of it." He said gently.

Neville nodded gamely and tried it again. "_Maerens!"_ the curse started from the wand but sputtered out halfway towards Harry.

"It somewhat worked!" Neville said, gleeful. Harry did not tell him that he hadn't mastered it yet, for he was sure that Neville knew that. He patted him on the back and surveyed the rest of the group.

Cho Chang seemed to be having problems with it, and his heart leapt slightly as he walked over to her. He pushed down the strange feeling and faced her.

"OK, Cho, you need to flick it slowly upwards, and emphasize the _Mae _part of the curse." She looked at him gratefully and he tried not to notice how pretty she was. She tried it again, and her partner fell down. Harry helped her up.

"Great job, Cho," he said. "You're a great teacher, Harry." Cho said, looking at him.

Harry blushed and, embarrassed, went over to the other side of the room on the pretext of checking on Fred and George. Three-quarters of the group had learnt it on the first day. Harry resolved to try and recruit more Slytherins. This group would be a force to be reckoned with. They would be Hogwarts's defence.

…_._

_Defence Classroom_

Harry sat next to his partner for Defence, Ernie Macmillan. He was quite talkative and cheerful, and Harry was refreshed by his personality. He was a much-needed beacon of optimism, especially then. Albus Dumbledore swept inside, wearing robes of a garish magenta. Harry stifled a laugh. Ron was sitting next to Hannah Abbot, while Hermione had Justin Finch-Fletchley as a partner. Dumbledore started speaking.

"Now, students, we will start with the basics. What is Light and what is Dark Magic?"

Susan Bones raised her hand. "Light Magic is used for good purposes, while Dark Magic is used for bad ones."

Dumbledore turned his head to the side. "Not quite, I'm afraid, Miss Bones."

Dean Thomas tried next. "Is Dark Magic used to kill people?"

"Again, not quite, Mr. Thomas."

Harry raised his and Dumbledore beamed at him. "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"What is now considered 'Dark Magic' is actually the decision of lawmakers and politicians. There is no natural rule for what makes magic Dark or Light."

"Almost correct, Mr. Potter. Although what might be considered Dark Magic is mostly decided by politicians, some forms of magic are so vile, so evil, so inherently _Dark_, that they ruin a person's heart and soul, erasing all goodness from them. But, luckily, such magicks are few and far between." Harry raised his eyebrows. He didn't know that. Was that why Dumbledore had implored Forrest to not teach him Dark Magic?

He resolved to research this new information.

…..

_The Same Day_

"Professor Binns! Professor Binns!" Harry called out, panting as he raced to keep up with the ghost after his class. Binns turned around, extremely surprised. Harry doubted that _any_ student had ever asked him questions after class. "Yes, Mr. Puddlemore?"

Harry ignored that and ploughed on. "How did you stop the twenty followers of Emeric the Evil in 1754?"

Binns's eyes took on a glazed, faraway look. "Why, Mr. Puddlemore, it was so long ago, but I remember that I used a spell of my own creation."

"What was it?"

"A unique combination of a Blasting Curse and Stunners."

Harry scribbled that down in his notebook and took off down the stairs. "Thanks, Professor!"

The ghost was left there outside the teacher's room. "You're welcome, Mister….Puddlemore." he said, distracted. Harry took this information to Hermione and Ron. They were quite excited, although as Ron put it, "I still can't believe Binns defeated twenty people. I bet he lectured them till they begged for Azkaban and then made up a story."

Madam Pince's peace was interrupted by a roar of raucous laughter.

…

However, all wasn't well at Hogwarts. For, in that same week, seven Slytherins, four Ravenclaws, five Hufflepuffs and six Gryffindors were admitted in the Hospital Wing. An inter-house war was brewing, and there seemed to be no way to stop it.

**Well, then. Here's the sixth chapter. This is the longest one, yet, and will keep getting consistently longer, I hope. I hope you enjoyed and left a review. The feedback is really important to my writing process. Next chapter up by the fifteenth of July, 2019!**

**Thanks,**

**TheCheerfulPessimist**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I hope you liked the last chapter. Here's Chapter 7. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 7**

_Diagon Alley_

_1976_

_Forrest Eridane walked down Diagon Alley with his family in tow. Rigel would be starting Hogwarts that year, and had begged his father to get him an owl. Erica was already in her third year, but she wanted a broomstick. He had gotten them both, and Emma had scolded him for spoiling the children. He didn't mind, though. He loved such times with his family._

"_Dad! Can we get an ice cream? Please?" Rigel asked, carrying his new barn owl in its cage, skipping gleefully. Erica nodded excitedly with him, her broomstick slung over her back. Emma laughed._

"_Rigel, you were the one with a severe cold yesterday, weren't you?"_

"_But I feel fine now!"_

"_Come on, Emma, get the children some ice cream, now would you?" Forrest asked, giving her a pleading look. "I'd like some, too."_

_She tapped him on the mirrored glasses and then sighed. "Fine."_

"_Yes!" they cheered as she shook her head._

"_Forrest, if they get a cold tomorrow, you're on nose wiping duty!"_

_He bowed. "Ma'am, yes ma'am." They all laughed again as Forrest picked up Erica and messed up her hair. She smacked his hand._

"_Dad!"_

_A rumble sounded from the top of the alley as three buildings caught on fire. Forrest cursed to himself._

"_It's him! It's Voldemort! Emma, we have to go!" he grabbed Rigel's hand while Emma got Erica's. They started running down to the Floo stations as people started panicking. He cursed again. The Floo didn't work. Those bastards had broken through the Floo Network! Screams echoed across the alley as Rigel started crying. They could see the Dark wizards approaching, laughing as they destroyed everything. He let go of Rigel and made a split second decision._

"_Emma, take the children and run. I'll hold them off."_

_She looked at him, resigned and hugged him one last time. "I love you," she whispered in his ear._

"_I love you too." He said back. He crouched down and looked at his children. He hugged them._

"_I love you, OK?" he said. Rigel and Erica hugged him tightly back._

"_Now, go! Go, go, go, go, go!" he shouted as he ran up the alley to face the Dark forces. Where were those damn Aurors? He cast a Protego Maximus as he shot off Bone Breakers, killing at least five of them before a terrifying rumble echoed down the Alley. He looked back just as that part of the Alley exploded._

"_ERICA! RIGEL! EMMA!" He screamed, and kept doing so until a large chunk of flying concrete hit him in the chest and he blacked out._

…_.._

_He woke up in Saint Mungo's Hospital a week later to learn that Voldemort had created a diversion in Glasgow before the attack to distract the Aurors away from the Alley. He begged nurses for news about his family, but with all the casualties, they had no way of knowing. He attempted to break out of the hospital many, many times, but he was so weakened by the blast, he could barely walk. So he stayed that way in his bed, all the way till Dumbledore came to his ward and broke the news of his family's deaths, giving him the only one of their possessions he had found intact._

"_I couldn't possibly understand how you are feeling, dear boy, but-"_

_Forrest shook, his voice laced with rage and an underlying grief. "No, you couldn't. Do you know why? Because it should have been me. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!"_

_Dumbledore looked on sadly as he let out a behemoth roar of unimaginable pain and cried to himself, holding his daughter's brand new Nimbus 500 broomstick in his hands._

…_.._

_Eridane Manor_

"_Now, Potter, you must see what kind of dragon you are going to be in your mind." Forrest said, as Harry closed his eyes and tried to see it. He gave a quick cry of triumph, and then frowned._

"_That's a Hungarian Horntail!" he laughed. How ironic._

"_Good. It's a very dangerous dragon, especially with the tail spikes, which are coated with poison. Now, in your mind, go to your dragon."_

_Harry did so. He stepped closer to his dragon, holding out his hand. The dragon sniffed it and then snorted, which he took as a sign of welcome. He stepped closer and then touched its head. It vanished._ "_What?" he asked, crestfallen. "It vanished as soon as I touched it."_

_Forrest nodded. "That's normal. You must keep doing it, and merge fully with it. In fact, look at your hand."_

_Harry did so and then started. The hand that touched the dragon had sharp claws and was covered with scales. He panicked._ "_How do I get it back?"_

"_Relax, just visit the dragon again and then draw your hand away from it."_

_Harry concentrated and found that his hand was still touching the dragon's head. He drew it back and exited. He let out a relieved sigh. His hand was back to normal._ "_In fact, you did it relatively fast, compared to the other dunderheads I tried to teach Animagus transformations to."_

"_Ah, stop." Harry said, grasping his chest dramatically. "I'm going to start thinking you care!"_

_Forrest smirked._

…_.._

_Present Day_

_Hogwarts_

"Harry, concentrate," Dumbledore said as Harry gripped his wand tightly and spun in a circle. He ended up in the same position. "Use the three Ds,"

Harry muttered a place where Dumbledore could stick his three Ds.

"Language, Harry. Just try harder."

"I thought you couldn't Apparate in Hogwarts."

"I removed the wards on my office for two hours. Just in my office, though. So please don't try to Apparate anywhere else. Harry, just visualise the hoop over there. Feel the determination. This could be a major advantage in the battlefield." That affected him. He tried again and appeared in the hoop. He looked triumphantly at Dumbledore, but he was looking oddly at Harry's arm.

He looked at his arm and started in shock. It wasn't there! Then he slowly looked back to where he had Apparated from and saw his still-robed arm lying on the floor.

He fainted.

_Hospital Wing_

Harry woke up and sighed in relief as he realised that his arm was attached again. Dumbledore was waiting by the bed and smiled at him. "That is good progress, dear boy. However, the Splinching occurred because you weren't determined enough. Determination is the key emotion here, although any strong emotion would help, even pain. I will give you some research materials for your perusal."

Harry nodded slowly. "I see…"

"That is quite enough for today. I see you have Transfiguration in ten minutes." Harry bolted out of bed and ran to get his books.

…

Harry smiled proudly as he became the first person in the class to master the Vanishing Spell. They were having Double Transfiguration with the Slytherins, and Malfoy was sending him angry glares from across the room. Harry's partner, Zabini, just concentrated on what he was doing and ignored him. Hermione shot him a surprised glance.

Professor McGonagall kept giving him odd looks as well, but she did award ten points to Gryffindor for being the first one to master the charm. The class ended fifteen minutes later. "Mr. Potter, stay back, will you?" McGonagall called out to the crowd of departing students. Harry hung back and went into the classroom.

"What is it, Professor?" She took a sniff of air and asked, "What is your form? Some kind of dragon?"

Harry was surprised. How could she know that? Then he realised that she also was an Animagus. He scratched his neck sheepishly. "Um, yes, but I haven't reached fluid transformations yet."

"I must confess, I had hoped that you would take your father's form."

"You knew about Prongs?"

She scoffed. "You give me too less credit, Mr. Potter. I was the one who helped Sirius Black with the problem that he couldn't transform back fully. He was constantly stuck with a back covered in black fur." Harry chuckled, but with underlying sadness. She grew more serious. "Why don't you register with the Ministry?"

Harry leaned forward. "With all due respect, ma'am, this Animagus form will be the only advantage I have in the battlefield that they don't. Therefore, if I register, that will defeat the whole element, now wouldn't it?" She interlocked her fingers and looked sternly at him. She then nodded.

"I can help you with the fluid transformations," she said, putting down some manuscripts in front of him. "Come to me if you have any questions, Mr. Potter." Harry took them almost reverently. "Thank you so much, Professor."

"A dragon would be quite useful, Potter. Have a good day." He nodded and went outside. She let out a sigh.

Ron and Hermione were waiting outside the door, and they started talking about the defence group as they walked back to the common room. While they made their way down the first floor hallway, he heard muted sobs from a classroom. He signalled them silently and looked inside. They saw a group of Gryffindor seventh years, large, hulking boys, clustered around a small Slytherin second-year. One of them, Hayes, he remembered, shoved the girl to the ground, cracking her glasses. "Take that, you little snake!"

Harry saw red. He could see himself all too easily in the small, dark-haired girl crying on the floor. He marched in and yelled, "What the _hell _are you doing?"

The boys turned around in surprise, while the second-year grew hopeful. Hayes grunted, "Go away, Potter." He made to punch the girl again and in the flash of an eye, he and his two friends were slammed against a wall and bound with dark ropes from three wands. Hermione ran over and crouched down next to her. "Are you all right?" she asked gently. She looked up at her and nodded.

"What's your name?" Ron asked. She sniffed. "Anne."

"OK, Anne, here are your glasses." she cast a _Reparo_ on the glasses and handed it to her with a flourish. "Thanks," she said quietly.

Hayes shouted from the corner. "Hey, you three, why are you defending a snake?" Harry turned to face him, eyes flashing. "Because she's a little girl, and you're bullying a person five years younger than you. You're the enemies, in my opinion."

"That snake's going to join You-Know-Who!" The second boy shouted. That was the wrong thing to say. Harry's voice dropped down to a hiss as Hermione glared fiercely at them. "What is _wrong_ with you? She's a child!"

"You better be careful, Potter, we don't take kindly to house traitors." Hayes warned. Harry stepped closer to him. "Well, we'll just have to remedy that, won't we?" A few minutes later, the boys staggered out of the room, scared out of their minds, with a, _forceful_, warning not to tell anyone.

…..

Ron asked him later in the common room, "Hey, mate, what if it was an older Slytherin? Would we have just left?" Harry shook his head. "No." Ron looked confused. "Why not?" Harry sighed and closed his book. He looked deep at him. "Ron, I was almost a Slytherin. "

"What?"

"I mean, I had to beg the Sorting Hat not to put me in Slytherin. If I was that kid, would you have let Hayes do what he wanted?" Ron's eyes widened and he didn't answer. "The point is, Ron, we can't be prejudiced against a quarter of the school. You remember Peter Pettigrew. I would have had my parents and a better life if it wasn't for that rat bastard, and he was a Gryffindor!"

….

_Great_ _Hall_

He had a horrific dream that night. He saw himself trapped in a pit, as all the people he had been responsible for killing lined up and threw hot coals at him. His parents. Quirell. He didn't know why he saw Ginny, though, and he screamed through the pain, why. She laughed as her face took on a demonic mask and Harry recoiled. "Were you really as stupid as to think that Ginny would se the same after what you and Tom did to her? You destroyed a part of her!" Cedric Diggory. Barty Crouch Jr. And finally, his heart wrenched as he saw Sirius.

He woke up and rolled over, giving stifled, pained noises. He coughed and spluttered, then wiped his face and sat up, rocking himself to regain his self-control. He decided to distract himself, and pored through the Apparation materials Dumbledore had given him, later pretending to wake up at the same time as his dorm mates. He walked with Ron to breakfast and found Hermione waving at them from the Gryffindor table.

However, with a flash of long brown hair, Angelina stopped him on the way to the Gryffindor table. "Hey, Harry, they made me captain of the Quidditch team!" Harry stopped, not really surprised. "That's great, Angelina. Congratulations."

"Thanks. So, we're having tryouts this weekend, so if you know any good Keepers, tell them to try, all right?"

"Sure,"

They parted ways, and Ron whispered to him, "Hey, Harry? D'you think I'd make a good Keeper?" Now he was surprised. "Yeah, sure Ron. I've seen you play over the summer. You could make the team."

"Really?"

"Of course. Just come for try-outs, alright?" Hermione joined in. "Yes, Ron, you should try out. As long as it doesn't take up all your time, it will be really fun!" Ron looked a lot more cheerful now. "Sure, I'll go for it."

Harry clapped him on the back.

_Quidditch_ _Pitch_

"Go, Ron!" Harry shouted as he looked over the Keeper tryouts in the air. Ron was doing really well, having been the only person to save all five goals given by the Chasers. He was sure to be the new Keeper, if he kept his head together for the final part of tryouts. All the Chasers were going to throw Quaffles at the same time. An elder sixth year just gave up at that stage, while Ron, sweating furiously, swung his broom around and saved six out of the eight Quaffles, the highest out of all the candidates, securing his spot as Keeper.

Harry pumped his fist in the air and yelled Ron's name. It was a happy trio that made their way back to the dorm after tryouts.

_Headmaster's_ _Office_

"Headmaster, you must do something!" Severus Snape raged in the staff meeting. "Slytherins have become the scapegoats for the War! They are being attacked left, right, and centre! _Twenty seven _of my House were attacked yesterday!"

"That is true, Headmaster," Professor Sinistra chimed in. "All the other houses have ganged up on them on the foolish notion that all Slytherins are Dark. It is becoming an epidemic of violence and I fear that this creates a hostile learning environment."

The other Heads of Houses hung their heads. "We can put pressure on them to stop." McGonagall suggested. Dumbledore shook his head.

"No, my dear, I believe this requires a more practical demonstration."

"What do you mean?" Flitwick asked, curious.

"I mean that we should show them that Dark Wizards come from all Hogwarts Houses. As in the likes of John Runcorn, Augustus Rookwood, and Andrew Devin." All of them were noted supporters of Voldemort.

"That's not going to be enough!" Snape hissed. "I demand more stringent punishments for those caught!"

"Severus may well be right. I suggest a minimum of one month's detention for the offenders, with suspension for the more extreme attackers. All in agreement?" "But, Albus, you've never suspended a student in forty years as a Headmaster!" McGonagall exclaimed.

"Be that as it may, we cannot afford to have students attacking each other when Voldemort plans his attack on Hogwarts." Professor Sprout gasped. "You think that he will attack the school?"

He nodded sadly. "Yes, Pomona, he was humiliated here with our quick defeat of his forces during the First War. And he has always been one to hold a grudge. He will attack, and when he does, we all must be united. Now, all in agreement?" They all nodded.

"Then we have no reason to not adjourn this discussion."

...

_A Week Later_

Ron looked a little green, Harry thought, as the Gryffindor team made their way on the pitch. It was the first game of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and Angelina and Montague faced each other with tight smiles as each tried to crush the hand of the other. Madam Hooch blew her whistle, "I hope to see a nice, _friendly, _game today, am I understood?" Montague smirked as Angelina gave a look of challenge.

"Teams, mount your brooms! Three, two, one, begin!"

The cheering started as the teams took off, accompanied by the commentary of Lee Jordan. "Well, folks, we are in for a treat, as the youngest Weasley brother has joined the team in the much-coveted position of Keeper!" Harry took to the highest area and squinted for the Snitch, as Malfoy seemed to be circling the perimeter. Ron saved a goal as fresh cheers erupted and Jordan started a ballad on the greats of Weasley. Ron beamed as Harry pumped his fist and yelled his name.

However, as the match progressed, Ron seemed to get a little more stressed each minute, as he let in goal after goal. Harry flew closer to see what the matter was, and then he heard the Slytherins all singing loudly,

_Weasley is our King,_

_He always lets the Quaffle in,_

_That's why the Slytherins all sing,_

_Weasley is our King_

Ron grew a little redder with each rendition, as Harry flew to him and whispered, "Ron, just think about how great it would be to knock the smiles of their faces if we win. Keep your head together. This is what they want!" Ron smiled a little, but his eyes betrayed his nerves. He played a little better though, and saved two goals, staying the score at 80-60 to Gryffindor.

Harry saw a flash of gold near the commentary booth, and recognized it as the Snitch. He whirled around and saw Malfoy still flying around, oblivious. He seared through the air as Malfoy caught on, and gave a tough chase. He stretched his arm desperately, but Malfoy was about to get it. So, he did either the bravest or most stupid thing he had ever done in his life, and leapt off the broom.

Gasps of shock and fear were heard as Harry caught a glimpse of Malfoy's furious face and his hand closed around the struggling golden ball. He grabbed his broomstick with the other and landed safely, the whole team yelling as one, Hermione and Ron hugging him tight.

…

Days flew by. With the new rules, several students had been given a month's detention, including Hayes and his group. Dumbledore made a special effort to include the names of Voldemort's followers from other houses in his classes, surprising many who believed that they was only Slytherin.

It still wasn't enough. Slytherins still came under insults and hisses from other houses when in a group. Spells were cast discreetly, Tripping Jinxes from behind doors, and of course, Slytherin retaliation. Discreet Dungbombs were thrown in corridors with other houses in it, and Leg Locker Curses seemed to be a special favourite.

….

Harry blew his whistle and they all stopped casting the Concussion Jinx. The room had grown bigger to accommodate the sixty three people now in Dumbledore's Army, as they all had voted to call it. It now held four large tapestries, each with one house symbol, and a restroom.

They had two Slytherin members now, Tracey Davis, whose family had been Light to Neutral in the last war, and Blaise Zabini, a half blood who detested blood supremacy.

He smiled at all of them. "Everyone, that was great. Neville, you did great. You mastered the charm first. Now, keep practicing, because we are going to move on to the good stuff, even the Patronus Charm, after Christmas."

Gasps and cheers met his words as he wondered how the time had gone. Christmas was around the corner, and Harry would be going with Ron and Hermione to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. He felt a little thrill of anticipation to be a part of the group taking down Voldemort.

_The Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade_

_The Last Day Before The Holidays (December 22rd)_

Hogsmeade, even with the threat of Voldemort, looked festive and bright. Villagers milled up and down the streets, wishing students a Merry Christmas and levitating colourful lights on top of their houses. Children chased each other around, wearing necklaces that had been charmed to glow with different colours. Laughter echoed throughout the village. Harry, Ron and Hermione went to the Three Broomsticks, where a large Christmas tree had been placed, bought Butterbeer, and sat down at a table.

"So, Harry," Hermione started. "About the spell Binns used in the attack, I think I've got it!"

Harry's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yes, you see, both these spells have a common root word. Therefore, you can only combine certain spells with the same root. Others are incompatible." She rolled out some parchment.

_On The Magicks Used By Merlin_

_Beware, stranger, for whatever power thy have, the word of magick is always stronger. This language is magic, the roots affixed with suffixes. Of common root doth two spells are, they will be cast to form one of both effects. However, thy must not combine two of unequal root, otherwise thy magic, blood and life shall be stripped from thy body._

Harry scanned the rest of it quickly, a dissection of Merlin's spells. "Hermione, this is amazing! This could be a game-changer." She tapped a point on the parchment and cautioned him, "Remember, this is only theoretical. I found it in _The Magicks of the Ancients_, and it was apparently a tactic used by Merlin. You know that history that far back is mostly hearsay."

He nodded excitedly. "Be that as it may. Ron, we need to find spells with common root words. They should be in the NEWT Runes textbooks." Ron groaned. "I knew I shouldn't have taken that fraud's class." He took a large swig of Butterbeer. Suddenly, screams sounded from down the hill. Harry jumped up. "What was that?" Ron ran to the door and looked out. His face paled to the colour of the snow outside.

"It's You-Know-Who!" He shouted.

**Cool. Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed. I really need the reviews, they've dried up recently. Thanks a lot for the people who wrote one, though!**

**Thanks,**

**TheCheerfulPessimist**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys. Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate it. Thanks especially to the two reviewers who have tried to review diligently.**

**The One Who Fought**

**Chapter 8**

_1978_

_Edinburgh_

"_Lily, you take the entire right flank, and I'll get shorty!" James shouted as the battle raged on. "Wow, Prongs, your bravery astounds me!" She snarked back. Remus gave a barking laugh as he duelled a troll to her left. Sirius appeared next to them, making short work of three Death Eaters. Peter was at the very front, out of sight._

"_Moony, Lily, Prongs! Maximus!" Sirius yelled and they nodded back, understanding. Standing with their backs to each other, forming a square, they raised their wands and in perfect harmony, slashed diagonally once, then vertically three times. They cast in unison._

"_GLACI!"_

_Around them whirled a storm of ice. Jagged spikes, miniature icebergs, all ice formations, all sharper than Fang's teeth. They were at the eye of the tornado, where they stretched their arms to full length, creating a hurricane within a hundred-meter radius. It continued like this as sweat ran and muscles trembled. When they could no longer keep it up, they collapsed to a clear battlefield. Alastor hobbled up to them. "Incredible! Incredible! Incredible!" _

_Dumbledore followed. "Wonderful casting, all of you."_

_Lily grinned and pulled James up. He swung her around and kissed her. "We did it, didn't we?" She laughed and nodded. "Yes, we did."_

_Sirius gave a wolf-whistle as Remus hooted, "PDA!"_

_Over The Summer_

_Eridane Manor_

_Harry sat forward and listened to the lecture Forrest was giving him. _

"_Now, the purebloods, all having seats on the Wizengamot, were alarmed by the rise of Muggleborn children in Magical Britain. So, they passed laws, amendments to earlier laws, and repealed older ones, all for the sake of suppression of the Muggleborns. All this was passed by, who else, Abraxas Malfoy and his merry band of purebloods."_

_Harry, intrigued, asked, "Since the Wizengamot has only pureblood and minority half-blood representation, isn't it obsolete to produce laws benefiting all of society?"_

_Forrest raised his eyebrows. "Yes, absolutely." He got up and rooted through his bookshelf. "In fact, I wrote a research paper on precisely that, when I was twenty years of age." He found it, a thick sheaf of parchment, and handed it to Harry, who flipped through it. He laughed. "Those old bigots hated it so much that I was kicked out of the Wizengamot. Good riddance, though. I had never wanted to be part of that cesspool of corruption and racism. Just family tradition."_

"_But, can you really call it racism? I mean, it seems like a sort of classist bias, doesn't it?"_

"_Boy, they literally consider Muggleborns half-human. Like a different, inferior race than the purebloods. So, it's definitely a form of racism." Harry swept his hair off his eyes. "So, even if Voldemort loses, we are all just going to go back to our same redundant governing bodies that provided the breeding grounds for all these Dark Lords?"_

_He sighed. "Yes, but, who knows how your generation will be affected by this constant bigotry and warfare? For all we know, you all might just be the reckoning of Magical Britain."_

_Hogsmeade_

_Present Day_

_Ron's face paled to the colour of the snow outside. "It's You-Know-Who!"_

The noise inside grew to a roar as a stampede started as people ran to get out the door. Rosmerta called out for all the students in the pub, who followed her to behind the bar. She held out a can, a Portkey. "Albus had this made especially for this kind of situation. Touch it quickly and I will say the activation word." All the students touched it, except Harry. He whispered in Hermione's and Ron's ear, "The third years are all in the broomstick shop a few shops down!"

Her face hardened as all three of them raced out of the shop, ignoring the cries from the rest of the students inside. The sight that confronted them was both incredible and terrifying. Students in black Hogwarts robes ran crying back up the path as streaks of colour whizzed past them. Voldemort couldn't be seen yet, but his followers hid their cowardly faces behind the masks and cornered fallen students. Ron surveyed this scene with a face of despair.

"How're we going to get all of them?"

Harry tapped them on the shoulder and whispered, "Stay here and take the students I bring back to the castle." He concentrated deeply, finding his dragon in his mind. First his hands, then his legs, then his whole body was enveloped within the dragon's embrace. He opened his eyes and found himself in the body of a jet-black dragon. He bared his sharp teeth and felt his limbs, covered in scales.

Hermione couldn't believe it. Where her first friend was, there stood a twenty foot dragon. It was the same dragon in the First Task. It shuffled and roared. Hermione and Ron were staring at him, open-mouthed. He launched into the sky. The Death Eaters shot spells at him, which his thick hide absorbed. He did a barrel roll to avoid the _Praemium_ curse and knocked another wizard in the mask off his broom. More were aerial, and he clawed at them, shooting fire, until they fell.

He found a pack of fallen students surrounded by Dark wizards first. He swooped down and knocked down all the wizards with his tail. He picked up the students with his claws and flew back to his friends. He dropped them a few inches above the ground and took off again. He found a group of third years then. Grabbing them with his claws, he went back to where his friends were and discovered a problem.

He found the masked wizards surrounding them as all the students formed a defensive circle and shot spells. Fred fell down, and Harry roared with fury. This scared the third-years he was carrying, and they struggled. He gripped them tighter. He swiped at the dark wizards with his tail and half of them fell to the ground. He flew quick to the edge of the castle and left the third-years there. They stared at him and one said, "Wicked!"

They tried to pet him, but he just nodded his large head and flew back to the fight. Before he reached, though, he turned back to himself. He might accidentally hit one of the students if he fought in dragon form. They were still in the circle, but more dark wizards had joined in.

"_Confringo_!" He shouted the Blasting Curse as it hit and blasted five of the wizards to the ground. He quickly found rocks and Transfigured them to poisonous snakes, instructing them to bite only Voldemort's followers. Shrieks filled the air as the Death Eaters realised that Harry was the major threat there and surrounded him. He rolled to avoid the Killing Curse and shot a Knockout Curse at one, who slid to the ground.

"_PROTEGO MAXIMUS!" _He shouted, as a translucent blue shield appeared in front of the students. A Severing Charm to his hand sliced it open at the palm and he stifled a cry of pain, the shield flickering.

"_VULNARE!_" He yelled, as twin streaks of red gave deep gashes to the legs of two, who fell. Ginny then finished them off with Stunners. His blood dripped on the snow.

He hastily gathered another rock. "_Felins!"_ A large lion formed and attacked the Death Eater about to curse him, who screamed in pain and fear.

By then, only six enemies remained. Hermione took down one from behind with a Knockout Curse as Ron shot a Blasting Curse and knocked down another one. Fred and George threw sponge balls at two more, which exploded, covering them in Doxy excrement as they fainted. Harry swept his foot and knocked the other two to the ground. They were promptly Stunned and bound. "_Episkey,"_ he cast as his hand healed and he sighed in relief, then shouted as he saw a new danger.

A family stood in front of them, with a little girl, as three streaks of dark violet shot towards them. Hermione screamed a warning, but the man and woman encased their daughter between them, shielding her from whatever came their way. The curses hit them as they were blasted off their feet. Ron and Ginny quickly took down the Death Eater who cast the curses as Harry ran to check on the little girl. Hermione had already tried to revive the parents and she shook her head at him, tears forming. The girl was still alive. She couldn't be more than five, the chubbiness left over from toddlerhood still clinging stubbornly to her face.

He crouched down near her as he tried to heal her wounds. "_Episkey! Episkey! Sana!" _The major cuts healed, new skin forming over them, but the curse she had been hit with caused more to open up, her blood staining the snow red. "_Sana! Tranquillus! Episkey!" _He cast, losing more and more hope by the second. Her name had been stencilled on her blue jumper. _Katrina_. He pressed on the major cut in her stomach, desperately trying to stop the outpour of blood. She still wore one of the glow necklaces, shining blue, green, yellow and pink on the red snow.

Brown eyes so dark that they could have been black opened, as she looked into green. Her mouth moved to say something, but then the life drained from her eyes and she stopped breathing. All the breath was forced out of Harry's body, as he held the girl in his arms. "No! _Damn! Damn! Damn!_" He screamed. Ron put a hand on his shoulder as he looked at Katrina one more time. With dark skin and flowing black hair, she looked as if in a beautiful peace. He gently laid her back on the ground, as one tear splashed on her stomach. Hermione gently closed her eyes. "Don't leave them like this."

He wiped his face with a sleeve as the group approached him. His voice came out ragged and choked. "Levitate them back to the castle. They deserve a proper burial." He turned away, his cloak billowing behind him, and walked towards the Forbidden Forest, ignoring the cries of his name that followed. He reached the edge of the forest soon enough, and went inside, not caring any more. Katrina was just another nameless, faceless casualty of war, why did her death hurt him so much? Because she was an innocent. A five year old little girl, whose only crime had been to live in Hogsmeade that fatal day. Tears pricked at his eyes again. How could he face Voldemort if he couldn't even face this?

He returned to the castle later, and found Professor McGonagall at the main door. "Where were you, Mr. Potter? You caused us all quite a bit of worry!"

He tried to walk through her, listless. But she held his shoulder and spun him around.

She looked at him with a glimmer of pride. "The other students gave me quite a delightful story about how a dragon saved them, and how you were Transfiguring rocks into animals."

Harry shrugged modestly.

"Wonderful work, Mr. Potter. Fifty points to Gryffindor."

….

_Dinner_

Albus Dumbledore stood and surveyed the student population, grim. "Students, as you all know, Hogsmeade was attacked today. The number of casualties is now two hundred and fifty-seven. We would all like a moment of silence in memory of Alan Wenchwood, third-year Ravenclaw, and Dennis Creevey, third-year Gryffindor, who were murdered today by Voldemort's forces. There will be no more Hogsmeade trips." Harry hung his head, as quiet cries were heard from their friends and older siblings. Colin Creevey wasn't there. Rumour had it that his parents had taken him home. "But, sadly, the bad news does not end. Today, Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, was assassinated in office."

Eyes met, horrified, as cries of shock emanated from the younger-years. "From an emergency vote by the Wizengamot, Pius Thicknesse has been elected to office." Dumbledore certainly sounded frustrated about that. Smirks were seen from the Slytherins, as the Gryffindors scowled at them. "And as his first act in office, he has elected Dolores Umbridge as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." The doors opened, and the squat, pink-dressed woman walked back in. "Oh no…" he heard Hermione whisper.

Dumbledore cut all the whispers off with a "Tomorrow, most of us board the Hogwarts Express back home for the holidays, so Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

…..

"Harry, I can't believe that you're an _Animagus_!" Hermione said later in the common room. "Yeah, mate, a dragon is so cool!" Ron added. Harry shushed them, but it was rather redundant, seeing as they were the only students in the common room. "Yeah, I learnt it over the summer." His head dropped. Hermione set her book down. "Say, Harry, you've never told us who you spent the summer with. And what happened in Privet Drive."

Harry groaned. "This again?" Ron nodded. "Yeah, Harry, whether you like it or not, we're going to be by your side all the way, so don't keep secrets from us. We're your friends. Help us understand."

Harry nodded. He just didn't care anymore. "All right," he started, and they leaned forward. "I woke up and my scar was burning. I saw, in my mind, how Voldemort was breaking through the wards, so I grabbed my broom and Cloak, and took off. The building exploded behind me and I was pelted with rubble, wounding me. I kept flying to the Burrow, but I lost so much blood that I fell unconscious on the way. I don't know where I landed."

He sat back and thought for a few minutes. "I was rescued by a stranger. But then, I saw how he duelled, and I asked if he could teach me how to fight like that." He smiled. "He took some convincing, but a few days later, he admitted that at least helping me gave him something relatively enjoyable to do. Sadist."

They all laughed. "Who is he?" Ron asked.

"A completely depressing bloke named Forrest Eridane. I can just hear him say, "I'll get you for that!"" Hermione flipped through the book she was reading. "I've never heard of him."

"Mark that one, Harry," drifted Ron's voice from his chair. "Hermione hasn't heard of someone. It's a frigging world record." Hermione playfully shoved him.

Katrina's face haunted his dreams that night, throwing ice spheres at him next to the others.

….

_The Next Morning_

_Dumbledore's Office_

Dumbledore sat opposite them, as well as Fred, George, and Ginny, and handed them all a piece of parchment. "Memorize it as you take the Portkey. It will allow you to bypass the wards." Harry took it and read it.

_The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London._

"Now, touch the telescope." They all did so, and Harry felt a tug at his navel as he closed his eyes tightly. A few moments later, he found himself keeling over on the floor of a dark house, obviously expensive. Tapestries lined the walls, reading messages now covered in dust. Hermione looked a little green as Ron staggered. "Harry, dear!" Molly Weasley cried as she enveloped Harry in a hug. He struggled out of it and smiled brightly at her.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley."

She smiled. "We were all so worried for you over the summer, dear. Now you can go upstairs and wash up." Harry followed the Weasley brothers upstairs, raising a hand in greeting at Bill on the way. Ron flopped down on his bed in their room, as Harry did the same on his. It was a mostly unlit room, a glowing yellow stick providing the scarce light. The beds were covered in valiantly washed, but still moth-eaten blankets. A blank portrait hung on the wall, which Harry found odd. It had an attached blue-tiled bathroom.

"_Crucio!" he heard as he saw a man clad in black robes writhe, screaming, on the floor._

He shook his head as he tried to remember what he had just seen. He gave up as with a loud crack, Fred and George Apparated into the room. Ron gave an involuntary twitch. "I hate it when you do that!" George waved him off. "They're having a secret meeting downstairs." Fred started. "That they don't want us to hear." George finished. Harry yawned. "Well, we can't listen even if we wanted to, could we?"

George smirked. "Oh, ickle Harrikins,"

Fred finished with an identical look. "We can do things you can only dream of."

….

George held out a flesh coloured string with an attached lump. "This, is an Extendable Ear. If you just smuggle in the lumpy bit into anything you want to hear and stick the string in your ear, then _voila_, it's like you're standing right next to them." Harry took them, awed. "Wicked!" Then, armed with the Ears, they all went downstairs to the closed door, where they found Hermione and an irritated Ginny.

"They warded the door again." She said. "Tonks taught me how to check. If I fling a couple of Dungbombs at a warded door, they'll just float away." Sure enough, there were a pile of mud-coloured bricks outside the door. Harry stopped. "Who's Tonks?"

"A member of the Order of the Phoenix." Hermione said. "She's a metamorphmagus!" Harry's eyes widened. "Wow." Metamorphmagi were so rare that only one was born every British generation. It was a great asset that one had joined their side. "She's also an Auror." She added.

At that moment, the door opened and the Order shuffled out, Molly first. Quite hassled, she called, "Dinner!" before realising that all the children were already there. "Oh, good, dears. Dinner's ready!"

He followed Ron to a kitchen, where knives cut and pots boiled seemingly of their own accord. Mrs. Weasley supervised all of this, and Mr. Weasley saw him and greeted, "How are you, Harry?" Harry smiled and shook his hand warmly. "I'm doing well, Mr. Weasley. How about you?" He suddenly looked very tired and Harry noticed more grey in his hair than ever before. "It's been a lot of work since Rufus died." Harry was just about to ask something else before Ron pulled him down to a chair.

"Albus, why don't you stay for dinner?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Harry looked to the side and noticed Dumbledore, who looked worried. Very worried. "Of course, Molly." The rest of them sat, and steak-and-kidney pie appeared in front of them. Harry took a bite and asked, "So, what were you all discussing, then?" Remus shook his head. He looked more hangdog than Harry had ever seen him, and the wrinkles on his face were etched with deep sadness. "Sorry, Harry, but this is an adult matter."

Harry felt his temper rising. An adult matter? He didn't see any of the adults with a prophecy hanging over their heads. "I deserve to know." He said softly. "You know I do."

"Harry, you're a child," Mrs. Weasley started before a short woman in bubble-gum pink hair interrupted him. "Who's done more than most children, and even most adults!"

"No one is questioning his capabilities, Nymphadora!" Remus said, exasperated. The woman took on a murderous look. "We're just debating whether Harry should know." "Look, we all know that Voldemort is going to come for me no matter what, so don't you think that it would better affect my survival chances if you tell me?" Harry said, ignoring the shudders when he spoke Voldemort's name.

Arthur spread his hands and sighed. "Albus, what do you think?"

Dumbledore stroked his beard as Harry stared at him, trying to communicate through the gaze, _Remember our conversation. Remember your promise to me._ He finally said, "Well, Arthur, I believe that they all should know about what we discussed."

**IMPORTANT AN! **

**All right, I'm not too happy with how the first few chapters worked out, so I will be adding a few changes, some minor, others not. I recommend that you guys all read it again. Just an opinion. But the next chapter will be uploaded between the 2****nd**** to 6****th**** of August. Review, please. The feedback's very important. Thanks for reading!**

**Thanks,**

**TheCheerfulPessimist**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey there, guys. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Also, I've made a lot of changes in the previous chapters, so I recommend that you read them again. Thanks. Also, to Hadrian Eveningshade, I'd really appreciate it if you could elaborate on your review. Thanks.**

**The One Who Fought**

**Chapter 9**

_Eridane Manor_

_Over The Summer_

"_No, I can't! I can't do that!" Harry said, shocked. Forrest calmly spoke, "If it's down to a situation where only you or someone else can survive, isn't it logical that it should be you?" _

"_But I can't kill people just so I can live!" Forrest sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Listen, boy, it's not just your survival at stake, is it? According to that prophecy, you're the only one who can kill Voldemort. And I agree that you should not kill innocents, but if it's between you and a person who's done terrible things, like Yaxley or Malfoy, isn't it smart to kill them? Isn't it better for your side?"_

"_But they have families, innocent ones, how can I punish them for their relative's sins?" Forrest's face grew intense. "Are you killing the families or are you killing the Death Eaters? It's your choice, child. It's yours."_

…_._

_Dumbledore's Office_

"_You see, Harry, silent Apparition is the one of the greatest advantages one the battlefield. Imagine fighting someone, and then they reappear behind you." _

_Harry nodded._

"_Now, to do this, you need to have a master's grasp of Apparition. Which is why I asked you to practice everyday. You might have noticed that with each successful Apparition, the cracking noise diminished. You also could Silence yourself while trying this, making it much easier."_

…

_Present Day_

_Grimmauld Place_

"No, Albus." Mrs. Weasley said emphatically. "They're too young! I forbid it!" Mr. Weasley placed his hand on her arm to calm her. "Molly, you know that you can't make these decisions for Harry or Hermione. You aren't their parents." She whirled around on him, "I might as well be Harry's, Arthur!" Fred started in, "George and I are adults now. We should be able to know what you talk about!" Dumbledore added, "My dear Molly, I suggested so because what we discussed involved Hogwarts itself, and it would benefit them to know about it. Not all of it. Just what concerns them."

Slowly, she nodded. "But _only_ today's meeting, Albus!"

Dumbledore nodded and started speaking, " Pius Thicknesse is a capable man, but still weak. We believe that he may be suspect to blackmail or bribery, and his appointment of Dolores Umbridge as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher suggests that he may be already under their influence." Ginny gasped. "Dolores Umbridge is extremely biased towards pure-bloods, so she will try to make your lives harder in Hogwarts. But I implore you, _do not rise to her bait_. She will delight in any reason to give punishment."

Harry sat forward, his appetite gone. "So what you're saying is, we have a potential Voldemort supporter for the leader of Britain and his racist right-hand woman is teaching us defence?" Dumbledore nodded, defeated. Harry whistled. "Bloody hell!"

"_Ealing is powerful strategic post for a base, my lord." A blond man in black robes said, kneeling in an opulent manor. He laughed._

He shook his head to clear it, the image just a blur now, fading away.

The rest of dinner passed in relative silence, broken only by their laughs over Nymphadora turning her face into various animal ones. Then, Harry asked, "Whose house is this, anyway?" Immediately, all of them averted his gaze, before Tonks finally said softly, "It was Sirius's family house." Harry swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. "Oh."

He could feel the pity emanating off of each of them and quickly grew sick of it, so he finished eating and excused himself from the table faster than normal.

He wandered down the hallway off the kitchen when a loud crack sounded, and a small, droopy creature appeared in front of him. A house elf. Curious, he asked, "What's your name?" It looked up at him, scowling. "Kreacher, Master Black." Harry asked, confused, "I'm not Master Black, Kreacher,"

"Yes, you are," came a voice behind him, and startled, he turned to find Dumbledore standing there. He continued, "Sirius made you his heir, Harry. This is your house, and you are now the head of House Black." It took him a few moments to absorb that.

Harry gave a sad smile. "So, I'm now a Black?" Dumbledore nodded, smiling back. Harry turned back to Kreacher. "Show me Sirius's old room, please, Kreacher." The elf muttered something under his breath, frowning, before saying, "Yes, master." Harry left Dumbledore standing there and followed Kreacher to the room. The door swung open, rusted with many years of disuse. It looked like a typical teenager's room, but mould liberally lined the walls in green spores, and Harry could see the air he was breathing, particles of yellow creating miniature whirlpools as he exhaled.

There were posters of motorcycles, and bikini-clad Muggle girls, so found because the pictures didn't move. Harry chuckled at how mad Sirius's parents would have been about that. Someone had been in there after Sirius had run away, though, as he found a picture by a magical camera lying under an oak desk. He picked it up and blew the dust off it. It cleared to show a family picture, _his_ family picture.

An infant, laughing at the camera, gurgling, green eyes sparkling, matched only by its mother, whose red hair fell in waves to her shoulders. A tall man with tousled black hair and round glasses, his arms around his wife and son, all set against an emerald velvet tapestry that brought out the startling green. They were all smiling as if they were the luckiest people in the world. Harry smiled at them, and on impulse, stuffed it in the pocket of his jeans. The rest of the room was decorated in red and gold, almost garish in the colour scheme. Pictures of James, Sirius, Remus, Pettigrew, and later Lily, adorned the walls.

He closed the door carefully and made his way over to the living room. He guessed that his friends were upstairs, then hid behind a doorpost as he saw the remaining members of the Order. He quickly took out his Invisibility Cloak and glided into the room they were going in, exhaling in relief as he narrowly missed Nymphadora. They all sat down as Harry hung close to the wall and Dumbledore locked and warded the door.

Mrs. Weasley spoke, "Albus, I don't understand. Now that Harry-" he stiffened, "knows Occlumency, isn't the threat over?" Dumbledore shook his head. "Yes, Molly, ideally that should be the case. But I don't know why, but sometimes when I look at his eyes, I feel Voldemort's" An involuntary shudder ran through the group. "presence. I believe that he still has some connection to Harry. A dangerous one. Not enough for possession, but there are minor aspects he could…control."

Harry stood, shocked. Voldemort was inside him, he could control him, like Ginny and the Chamber of Secrets. He just barely registered Moody asking if he was dangerous. He was a threat, a spy. He needed to leave. Voldemort couldn't see the headquarters of the Order. He needed to leave now.

Breathing heavily, he walked as fast as he dared back to the staircase, and then tore up to his room. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George were all there, sitting in a group, discussing something. Ginny waved to him. "Hi, Harry, about what you're teaching to Dumbledore's Army…" he nodded quickly but all he could think about was that Voldemort would find them. He would kill them.

He removed Hedwig from her cage and rubbed her head, whispering, "Fly around the house until I come, then follow me." She hooted affirmation and flew out the window.

He noiselessly shrunk and summoned his broom, covered by George's back, hiding it in his pocket. "Need to go to the loo." He muttered to the others and went in, locking the door. Then, fast, he pried open the window above the toilet and pulled on the cloak. His spare clothes were wet, drying on the railing. He grabbed them, and dried them instantly with a Heating Charm, stuffing them in his magically enlarged pockets. Then, standing on the toilet lid, he clambered onto his broom and flew out.

It was a chilly night, and he was glad for the thick duster coat he had bought in Diagon Alley before the attack. Then, he cursed himself. He had been so preoccupied with leaving, he didn't have a plan for where to go. He thought about Forrest, but he didn't know where he lived, anyway. He flew in a circle for a while, before deciding to put himself up at a Muggle hotel. He had a small roll of banknotes, enough for at least two nights in a respectable establishment. Tomorrow, he promised himself, he would go to Gringotts and withdraw some more. He flew north until he reached a busy part of city.

Scouting around discreetly, he finally decided on a building not too luxurious, but large. One of the places where businessmen stayed for they were willing to forgo service and comfort in order to be close to the airport. He landed in an alley before carefully pulling off the cloak. Hedwig hooted to him and he smiled at her. "Hey, Hed, just fly around this building. When I reach a room, fly in through that window." She jabbed at his ear with her beak before flying up. With a mild Glamor Charm, he sprouted a beard that made him look a lot older than he was, and lined his face. With a subtle lift of two inches or so, he looked around twenty-five or thirty.

He strode into the lobby, decorated with artfully placed potted plants, sofas, and a chrome-plated reception desk. Smiling slightly, he approached the man sitting at the desk. "I would like to book a room for the night, please."

He glanced up, "May I enquire as to your name, good sir?"

"Black," Harry said, thinking 'Potter' too much of a giveaway.

"Will you be paying with a credit card?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Well then, sir, we require you to pay beforehand. That will be 30 pounds." Harry removed his stash of pounds and counted out three bills. The attendant tapped at a computer. "Well, Mr. Black, I hope you will be comfortable in room 608." He handed over the room keys, which Harry took with a grateful smile. Riding the elevator upwards, he slid against the wall, exhausted. Then, after entering the room, he only just remembered to open the window before he fell on the bed, asleep ten seconds later.

_Grimmauld Place, London_

"Mum! Harry's missing!" Ron ran down the stairs, frantic. Molly asked, "What?" "Harry's missing!" Hermione repeated. Dumbledore raised his hands. "Could you elaborate on that, Ms. Granger?" "Professor, he went to the bathroom an hour ago, and when we knocked he didn't answer. So, we unlocked it magically, and he wasn't there! He's gone!" Dumbledore said nothing, thinking deeply. He finally spoke, "Is Harry's cloak and broom there?"

"I don't know. I'll go look." George ran upstairs to the room, closely followed by Fred. They came back down a few minutes later. "It's not there." Fred reported. Dumbledore's expression cleared. "Everyone, relax. He hasn't been kidnapped." Immediately, a clamour of voices met his statement. "How do you know?" "What?" "Really?"

He turned to Arthur and Molly. "He overheard us in the meeting. He has gone on his own." She wrung her hands. "Albus, we can't leave him alone in London! We have to find him!" He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, Molly, Harry can more than take care of himself."

_Wentworth Hotel_

"_My lord, we are ready." A man that looked like Lucius Malfoy reported. Harry took a look at his surroundings. He couldn't see Voldemort. But Lucius was addressing him. Horrified, he realised that he was Voldemort. _

_The manor was decorated with tapestries of war, with a large statue in the middle of the room. Made of marble, it depicted a stocky man holding a wand, his hand on a sword's sheath. Eyes of stone were locked in a constant narrowed stare. Salazar Slytherin. A short man in manacles was brought in._

"_This is what happens to people who defy me!" he heard himself say and closed his eyes tight, trying to block out the terrible, agonized screams the man emitted, needing someone to rescue him._

Harry sat up, panting. The screams echoed in his mind and he covered his ears, trying to block it out. He rolled over and checked the digital clock by the bedside. 5:46 am. He wouldn't be getting anymore sleep that day, and decided to fly around for a while. He stroked a sleeping Hedwig one more time, before pulling on the coat and cloak and readying his broom. Out the window he went.

The bitingly cold wind assailed his face like splinters of ice. _Note, Harry, buy yourself a scarf._ He dodged to the side and narrowly missed a skyscraper. Could Muggle radar pick him up? He shook his head. One problem at a time. The city was beautiful, the soft pink light of dawn glinting off glass windows. The whole city seemed to be sleeping, an unusual state for London. The stillness both calmed and unnerved him.

He spotted a man walking down the street in a plum-coloured suit, that with shock, he recognised as Dumbledore, who entered an alley. Curious, Harry followed him there, and watched from above as Dumbledore lit a cigar and took a long pull. This was surprising.

He descended slowly, and as soon as he was in front of Dumbledore, he whipped off the cloak. Dumbledore was undisturbed. "Oh, hello, Harry." Harry edged closer, Dumbledore seemed actually _drunk_. "Headmaster, are you all right?" Dumbledore moved his arms in wide motions, gesturing to the surroundings. "Who is, my boy? Even if this war is won, there will be more, and more. More deaths, more destruction. What does this matter?"

Harry said nothing. He had never seen Dumbledore like this, so cynical.

"You see, Harry," Dumbledore spoke, conspiratorial. "Sometimes, I feel like tearing down that House system myself. So broken, so utterly useless. Whose personality is set in stone at eleven years of age? And it turns a majority of the students against a whole quarter of the school. No wonder so many Slytherin students join Voldemort."

"Professor, have you been drinking?"

"Albus, my boy, my name is Albus." He sighed heavily. "After three wars, you need something to forget. You will be just like this after the war, Harry. Perhaps my dear friend Forrest and I have much more in common than I thought. Ariana was right."

"Who is Ariana?"

Dumbledore smiled, remembering a happier time. "The most wonderful person in the world. She showed us light, you know, Aberforth and I. And the music in life." His expression grew sad and angry. "But, alas, nothing good lasts forever."

"This is humanity, Harry. More Dark lords pop up every decade, for the system is broken. What is the use of a governing body of only wealthy pure-bloods? How could anyone think this would _not_ be biased? But who can change anything when they oppose everything?" he offered Harry a cigar.

Harry stepped even closer, declining the cigar. "This is why we fight, Professor, Albus. So that there will be more good people to stand up to the next oppressor. But, Albus, _trust me_, the system is going to change. I promise, no matter who wins, it is going to change." He made a silent vow to himself.

Dumbledore stirred. "Perhaps…" and then he was snoring. Harry draped the Cloak over him and levitated him to the next hotel, paying for a night, surprising the clerk almost sleeping at his desk. He deposited Dumbledore on the bed. With luck, he would forget everything but the last statement Harry made. He took off back to his hotel on his broom.

He felt an inkling of sympathy for Dumbledore, two wars with another on the way. Aberforth was his brother, was Ariana his sister? She was probably dead, though. That was a good reason to get drunk. He just never knew the Headmaster to be anything but fully in control. This spurred the question, how would _he_ cope with it if he survived the war?

…

_Diagon Alley_

The whole alley was so different now. No more colourful signs hanging on store walls, but shrouds and flowers, left by the public. The buildings had been rebuilt, but there were no shopkeepers in them. Madam Malkin's was still open, as was others like Ollivanders. Even the Leaky Cauldron was open, but it wouldn't be the same after Tom's death.

The streets had dark maroon lines on the edges of the cobblestones, and Harry wondered whose dried blood that was. The alley had a moderate flow of people, but was nowhere near the crowds that used to be there. Gringotts still stood, still gleaming white marble. He headed over there, the hood of his cloak up to prevent any unwanted attention.

The goblins at the doors took more security precautions, now. They waved a probe over him to make sure he wasn't taking any dangerous devices inside. And, a new one, he wasn't allowed to bring his wand inside. He could hear the outrage by the people there. "Horrible!" "Not fair!" "Filthy non-humans!" the person that said the last one was escorted forcefully outside. Harry noted with amusement that he hadn't been given his wand back.

He strode to an empty counter and spoke softly to the goblin there. "Harry Potter here for withdrawal of some money." The goblin took on a suspicious look. Harry lifted the fringe of hair to show him the scar and he nodded and handed him a gold key embossed with a large ruby. "This is your key, Griphook will take you to your vault." Harry thanked him and entered the cart trails. Griphook gave him a two-fingered salute and started the cart. Harry enjoyed it. It was like the rollercoasters Dudley used to go on.

He entered his vault, and removed a bagful of Galleons with a stack of banknotes. Nodding to Griphook, he left Gringotts later. He cursed as he spotted Dumbledore outside walking towards him. He didn't seem to remember anything about the night before. "Harry, my boy, why did you leave?" He started walking faster. "Headmaster, you don't understand, Voldemort can see Headquarters through me!"

"Harry, I have a solution to that." Harry stopped, curious. "Go on." Dumbledore started walking again and he jogged to keep up. "Harry, if he can do it, you can, too. Listen, if you spy on his meetings, you can find where he is going to attack. Also, he will find out soon, and then he will permanently close the connection, because you will hear all his plans otherwise."

That sounded like a decent idea. "Fine, but until he closes it, I'm not returning to Headquarters. Yes, I know it's under the Fidelius, but he can still post people outside it." Dumbledore nodded. "Good."

"Well, then I'm leaving now."

"Stay safe, Harry."

_Wentworth Hotel_

Harry paid for an additional three nights and sat in his room writing Forrest a letter explaining his predicament. He asked him for possible causes of the connection.

Then, he readied himself to try and reach inside Voldemort's mind. He cleared all emotions and thoughts, and dove into the deep recesses. He touched his scar and there, he found a black line of light leading to another's vision. He followed it, and ended up in front of a meeting of men in white masks and black robes. He had done it.

But he didn't understand, where was all this pain coming from? It stabbed his body like a million white-hot needles, and he opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. He silently cried out in agony, and his vision blurred to black. Slowly, thankfully, he slid into unconsciousness.

…

_Slytherin Manor_

Voldemort's head throbbed painfully, but he did not show it to his followers. Pain was weakness. But where was this pain coming from? He decided it was just a minor anomaly and dismissed the meeting. _Nagini, _he hissed. _Bring me my Pensieve._

…

_Wentworth Hotel_

Harry got up and hissed, his head throbbing. But it was still morning. He grabbed the clock and looked at the time. 9:34 am. He had slept a whole day. Then, he heard an irritated tapping on the window and looked out. "Hedwig!" he hurried over to the window. "I'm so sorry, girl." He opened it and removed the letter she was carrying. It was Forrest's reply. He patted Hedwig softly as he read it.

_Harry Potter,_

_This news of the connection is troubling. Mostly because he might have seen my home, also because I can't think of any explanation other than if you two are related. Don't worry, that's not possible, I traced both your mother's and your father's family genealogy. None of them are related to Slytherin. There might be another one, but it has never happened before and is probably impossible. If it is true, ten you are in real trouble, however, as I said, it is probably impossible. I will do more research just in case._

_Also, boy, beware of Dolores Umbridge. I've worked with Thicknesse before, and he would lose an intelligence contest to a damn stump. Sadly, that makes him suspect to manipulation. Umbridge is a vile toad, and you better steer clear of her. Also, teach your group Occlumency._

_Forrest Eridane_

_Head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Eridane_

Suddenly Harry felt another vision.

_It was in the same room as before, and a black-haired man knelt on the emerald-tiled floor. "We are ready, my lord." He felt himself speak from a silver throne._

"_Good. Are the borders secured?"_

"_Yes, my lord. Avery and Dolohov are patrolling it right now. They do not suspect anything. In fact, they are utterly naïve."_

"_Excellent. Tomorrow, Lancashire is ours."_

Harry sat up, panting. Lancashire. Lancashire. The second-largest wizarding community in Britain. Voldemort was going to attack there. He needed to tell Dumbledore, now. Damn it, he had to fly to him. With the cloak on, he whispered, "_Point me Albus Dumbledore." _And his wand lit up and pointed eastward. He flew that way for ten minutes before his wand pointed downwards and he descended. He spotted Dumbledore at a restaurant window, perhaps having a late breakfast.

He strode in and sat in front of him. "Ah, hello, Harry!" Dumbledore said cheerfully. He brushed the crumbs from his beard. "Dumbledore, he's going to attack Lancashire tomorrow. I saw it."

Dumbledore stood up quickly. "I have to inform Amelia."

"But won't Thicknesse find out?"

"Harry, the Aurors are separate from the Minister. He won't find out."

"But why didn't Snape tell you about this?"

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry. Also, Voldemort has been quite suspicious of him lately, and hasn't shared many plans with him since the resurrection. Hopefully, when Lancashire fails, he will think that Severus is not the spy."

Harry nodded, and with a swoop of a waistcoat, Dumbledore was gone.

….

He dreamed again that night.

_Lucius Malfoy hobbled in, bruises evident in his face. "My lord, they were waiting for us! They knew we were coming! It was a bloodbath!"_

_He roared. "HOW!" Then he felt Voldemort searching through his mind. Then he spoke with utter certainty. "Potter."_

_Harry was thrown out of his mind so fast that he slammed into something._

Harry woke up, jubilant. He tried to enter Voldemort's mind again, but just found a stone wall in place. He threw his head back and laughed with pure joy. He was back! Voldemort couldn't see through him anymore. He wrote a letter to Forrest explaining it.

**Longest chapter yet. Alright guys, seriously, reviews would be highly appreciated. It's really important to my writing process, which is why this chapter was a bit late. Next chapter will be up by the 12****th**** of August 2019.**

**Thanks,**

**TheCheerfulPessimist**


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